[Sca-cooks] Re: Vegetarian politics aside.....

[Gorgeous Muiredach]

>(you have to watch this here - depending on the sect you can run into
>problems with a cream sauce) can be hearty & filling.

Beware your vocabulary, please.  While I am not about PC for PC's sake, and
have been "accused" of complete and total irreverence, and while I am not
myself currently following a vegetarian diet, I think that to call the
different preference "sects" is overly negative and implies all kind of
things that you likely didn't mean to imply.

I would have to echo Master Adamantius statement that we have to figure out
what our goal is.  Are we trying to immitate meat dishes, or are we trying
to provide an interesting and healthy meatless alternative?

Most of the "mainstream" vegetarian dishes I see done on Food TV and other
media place entirely too much focus on immitating meat, such as the
"portobello patty".  I've been guilty of that myself.  But have learned
better since :-)

I was fortunate enough to help in the kitchens at the Taoist Tai Chi Center
in Orangeville, Ontario for a couple years, and worked at their "jai
banquets", where it was basically chinese vegetarian cooking heavily
influenced by Taoist influences (doh!)  We did use a lot of mushrooms,
grains, and tofu and/or other curds.  One of the things that struck me at
the time was that a lot of emphasis was put on having dishes molded and
shaped to resemble fish or poultry.  Some root poached and mashed, then
pressed into a mold to resemble a big fish.  Some dried curd rehydrated and
bound together, poached, once sliced gave the illusion of meat fibers.

But what's wrong with just doing a vegetarian dish, without care of
immitating meat?

In our circles, the problem is obviously that it is difficult to find
vegetarian recipes/dishes that are documentable.

My approach to feast is to get a documentable menu, to a point.  I will
take liberties and do perioid dishes if necessary to accomodate to crowds.

<shrug>

Gorgeous Muiredach the Odd
Clan of Odds
Shire of Forth Castle, Meridies
mka
Nicolas Steenhout
"You must deal with me as I think of myself" J. Hockenberry