superbowl vegan

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On Pigskins and Vegans

A noncarnivorous path to Super Bowl-snack nirvana

By Roz Cummins

31 Jan 2008

 

 

Three cheers for vegan snacks!

I have tried and tried to learn about football. Many people have taken the time

to sit patiently by my side while a game is on and gently whisper explanations

like, " OK, see, there are a series of things called downs ... " Right away, my

mind trails off. Despite my total lack of comprehension of anything that happens

on the field, I enjoy Super Bowl parties: the spectacle, the ads -- and the

snacks.

 

This year I decided to challenge myself to make a Super Bowl-worthy vegan dish.

I wanted to make something that was hearty and savory, and I wanted it to be

good enough that my omnivorous friends would enjoy it too. Should I make chili?

No. Too obvious! I decided to take on a greater challenge: a heavy, gooey baked

pasta dish.

 

 

Can You Say Soysage?

 

Normally for an occasion like a Super Bowl party I prepare a baked pasta dish I

call Testosteroni. I use penne or ziti, but gemelli, rigatoni, fusilli, rotini,

and radiatori work too. Feta cheese, green olives, capers, and a sauce made of

puréed roasted red pepper and crushed tomatoes spiked with red pepper flakes

complete the dish -- it's sort of an Arrabiata-meets-Putanesca kind of deal ...

a salty, saucy mix. However, I couldn't find any vegan cheese that even vaguely

resembled feta, so instead I decided to go with a baked vegan ravioli dish with

" sausage " in marinara sauce.

 

The first time I made it, I served it to my veggie dining co-op. I used Tofurky

Italian Sausage and Soy Boy Rosa Ravioli (tomato pasta filled with a roasted

sweet red pepper and organic tofu filling).

 

 

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I chickened out when it came to adding vegan cheese and used real mozzarella.

The result was delicious. The flavor of the Tofurky Italian Sausage was really

good and the texture wasn't bad, even though it wasn't like real sausage. The

ravioli were fantastic. They had a nice flavor and I liked the fact that they

were lighter than cheese ravioli. I'm ready to use vegan ravioli from now on

simply because I prefer it. However, as good as the dish was, it wasn't vegan

since I had used real cheese.

 

The next time I made it, I decided to bite the bullet and make it with

completely vegan ingredients. I picked the toughest room I could to taste-test

it: the meat-eatin'-est house around. (How much do the members of this household

love meat? One of their kid's first phrases was " More meat! " and when we

recently talked about what would make a good filling for a piñata, she

suggested -- predictably and with complete sincerity -- " Meat! " )

 

I made the same dish for them, only this time I used Field Roast Italian Sausage

instead of the Tofurky. The flavor of the sausages was very good (although I

thought the Tofurky ones tasted more like real Italian sausages) and their

texture was more like real meat.

 

 

Topping It All Off

 

Instead of using cheese to top the dish, I decided to try using seasoned

breadcrumbs to make a sort of savory streusel. I mixed breadcrumbs with smoked

paprika, salt, and olive oil. The flavor was good but the texture was

off-putting, in part because I used too many breadcrumbs and there was simply

too much topping. One of my friends asked if the dish really needed any topping,

since the rest was so good on its own. I guess it doesn't, but it seemed

undressed (topless, as it were) without one.

 

That night I woke up and sat bolt upright in my bed. I probably should have

said, " Eureka! " but instead I cried " Garlic bread! " In my sleep, I had hit upon

the idea of cutting thin slices of a baguette, topping them with a fresh garlic

and margarine mixture, and adding them to the top of the dish a few minutes

before serving -- just long enough for them to toast a bit. Mixing a little flat

Italian parsley into the margarine-garlic mix couldn't hurt either. (Since the

partially hydrogenated oil present in some margarines turns out to be quite

unhealthful, consider using a brand that doesn't contain it, like Smart

Balance.)

 

Of course, you can always use soy cheese. Some of it tastes good and melts well.

Go in with a friend on buying a few different brands and have a " tasting " --

that's the best way to find one that you like. Test the different cheeses for

their melt-ability by grating them and then toasting them on bread in the oven.

 

That said, here is the recipe for a hearty vegan ravioli bake. Top it (or not!)

in whatever way you choose.

 

 

Vegan Baked Ravioli and " Sausage "

 

Serves 6-8

 

" Sausage " and Ravioli

 

Two 25-ounce jars of marinara sauce (I used an organic version from Whole Foods'

365 line. If you use jars that aren't exactly 25 ounces, it will still be fine.)

10-ounce package of Rosa Ravioli, or similar amount of other ravioli of your

choice

1 package (4 links) of vegan " sausage "

1-2 pinches of red pepper flakes (optional)

 

 

 

Topping

 

Either

1 1/2 to 2 cups soy cheese, grated

or

Several 1/2- to 3/4-inch slices of baguette topped with a garlic-margarine mix

(3-4 tablespoons of margarine and one clove of fresh garlic, crushed and chopped

fine)

Salt

A few sprigs of parsley (optional), stemmed (which, of course, really means

de-stemmed!) and cut into thin strips

 

 

 

Place the oven rack in the middle of your oven. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

and put a large pot of water on to boil.

 

 

Photo: iStockphotoWhen the water comes to a boil, add the ravioli and cook them

until they are cooked through. They don't need to be perfectly al dente because

they are about to be baked, but they should be edible. When the ravioli are

done, drain them.

 

Cut the sausage links into bite-size pieces.

 

Pour one jar of sauce into a 10 " x 15 " baking dish. Add the drained ravioli and

pieces of sausage in such a way that they are fairly evenly distributed

throughout the pan. Pour the second jar of sauce over everything so that it's

covered. (If you don't need to use the whole jar and everything's covered,

that's fine. Save the rest for another purpose). Add the cheese if you want to

use cheese.

 

Cook the dish for about 30 minutes. Check it after 20 minutes. Take it out if

the cheese begins to get too tough. If you are planning to top the dish with

garlic bread instead, cut the baguette into slices and make a spread using 3-4

tablespoons of margarine and one clove of minced or pressed garlic. Sprinkle a

pinch of salt into the mixture. Spread the slices with the garlic-margarine mix.

Put these aside until the last 3 minutes of baking time.

 

The margarine should melt and the bread should begin to get a little bit brittle

but not too brown during that time. Keep an eye on it, though, in case you have

a hot oven or the pan is close to the heating element.

 

 

Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.

Confucius