VEGAN WILD RICE

[Vegan Wild Rice]

...Julia just says "Wild rice has hardly been heard of in France, but you can cook it deliciously in the French manner by using a modified risotto technique."...

...we usually mix wild rice with regular rice...

...drop the rice into boiling salted water...

...and boil for five minutes...

...finely mice some carrots onions and celery...

...and cook the minced vegetables slowly in the vegan butter for 5 to 6 minutes until tender but not browned...

...add the rice and some vegan stock...

...bay leaf...

...and thyme...

...cover and set in lower third of preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the rice is tender and has absorbed all the liquid...

...until the liquid is mostly all absorbed...

...I sauteed some beefless tips to go with the rice...

...the sort of tough black skin on the rice opens up a bit to reveal the fluffy rice-y inside...

...it's kind of a pretty dish...

...and it was really delicious...I'd definitely make it again...

Substitutions

vegan butter vegan stock

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking (p. 535)

...Vegan Frozen Brussels Sprouts...

[Vegan Frozen Brussels Sprouts]

...I think these hardly need a recipe...but you have to remember that Julia Child was born in 1912...before even my Grandma...and freezers and pretty much all of the tools that we use daily in our modern kitchens were still pretty new (if they existed at all in the 1960s) when she was writing Mastering the Art of French Cooking...

...Julia says that we can "substitute partially cooked frozen sprouts for fresh ones in any of the preceding recipes, use half the amount of water indicated here, and cook the sprouts until they are almost but not quite tender, 3 to 4 minutes. (When you are cooking more than two packages, use two saucepans; if too many vegetables are cooked in one pan, the liquid will not evaporate by the time they are tender."...

...Julia says to allow the sprouts to thaw just enough that you can separate them...

...add them to the boiling water...

...with salt and vegan butter...and boil them slowly for 6 to 8 minutes until the sprouts are tender...

......then boil them rapidly until all the remaining liquid has boiled away...

...they were...of course...overdone...but they were still just fine...I enjoyed them...

Substitutions

Vegan butter...I used Earth Balance...

Recipe here...Mastering the Art of French Cooking (pp. 454-455)

Vegan Poireaux à la Grecque

[Vegan Leeks a la Grecque]

...Julia says that "Any of the... vegetables may be prepared à la Grecque. "...and these are all served cold...which is a bit odd for me anyway...I almost think I'd prefer them warm...

...Julia gives specific instructions for washing and trimming the leeks...making sure you get rid of all the 'grit'...and ours were quite sandy...

...then you'll need a recipe of Vegan Court Bouillon...and you just pour that over the leeks...

...cover and bake 30 to 40 minutes...which may seem like a long time...but I'd say these leeks were pretty perfectly done...

...and really quite a simple and delicious dish...

Substitutions

NONE...

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking (p. 539)