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Vegan and vegetarian fare is not “just rabbit food.”
Gone are the days when restaurants served the ubiquitous primavera pasta as their lone vegetarian offering. As more and more of us focus on a plant-based diets for health reasons, the vegetarian and vegan offerings at restaurants and grocery stores are constantly expanding.
I happened on the new Atlantic Superstore (Dominion in Newfoundland) in the Larry Uteck area of Halifax recently – the first new Superstore built in Halifax in more than 15 years, apparently – and discovered several new vegan-friendly items.
With my plant-based ingredients in hand, I set out to prove to myself that vegan can be every bit as flavourful as animal-based dishes.
In my latest In a Jiffy video and article I make beefless bulgogi beef lettuce cups, vegan coconut curry soup made with chicken-less chicken stock and a chickpea and bean chili. I’m also eagerly anticipating making Tokyo Street Fries served with a sauce made with vegan mayonnaise (President’s Choice makes a vegan mayo-style spread).
Creating delicious vegan dishes is easy; it’s the wine pairings that can be challenging. Wines are traditionally fined (to remove suspend particles from a wine) with animal-based products such egg whites, isinglass (dried fish bladder) or gelatin. However, in order to keep wines vegan some producers use clay-based fining agents such as bentonite.
It can be difficult to determine which are vegan and which are not. For vegan products look for terms like unfined on the back label. Thankfully some producers identify themselves as vegan while others, such as Nova Scotia’s Benjamin Bridge, produce vegan wines but don’t necessarily acknowledge it on the back label.
I’ve chosen five vegan wines for you to serve with vegan and vegetarian cuisine.
Spring is here
This past week the sun has shone and temperatures have climbed. Is spring finally here for real?
It is in my kitchen and others across Atlantic Canada, as I, chefs and home cooks usher in the return of springtime food.
Chef Iona Daniel welcomes the new season with asparagus and prosciutto bundles that make a great appetizer throughout the spring and especially as a prelude to Easter dinner.
I recently opted to focus my spring culinary efforts on easy-to-make, spring-inspired pasta dishes. I love the simplicity and freshness of spring pasta, often made simply by tossing freshly cooked pasta with olive oil, some vegetables or pesto.
As for the wine pairings, keep them fresh, crisp, light and, if at all possible, local.
Wine heroes
As many of my readers know my career is focused as much on wine as it is food. Outside of the walls of the SaltWire Network, I act as a director of marketing for the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale and a sommelier instructor for the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers.
The wine industry is full of people who have inspired me to be better, many of whom I count as personal friends. Here are a few you should know.
Veronique Rivest
Canada’s queen of sommellerie. Veronique, owner of Soif Bar a Vin in Gatineau, Que., placed second at The Best Sommelier of the World contest in Toyko in 2013. Vero, as she is known to most, has a near unparalleled knowledge of wine and as big a heart.
Michelle Bouffard
Montreal-resident Michelle is founder of Tasting Climate Change, a bi-annual conference that educates the industry on its impact on climate.
Miguel Torres Sr.
The founder of the Familia Torres wine empire, Miguel not only revolutionized Spanish winemaking, but he is also leading the charge to support research of the wine industry’s impact on the environment.
Jancis Robinson
In a wine world full of smug, ego-driven writers, Robinson’s work, such as her Purple Pages, delivers knowledge and insight with strength, fortitude and integrity.
See you next week when we'll offer more great food and drink recipes.
Until then, keep following your foodie dreams.
Mark DeWolf is a connoisseur of all things food and drink. He's a creative director with SaltWire and local fare is his specialty. Watch Mark whip up seasonal plates in his video series, In a Jiffy, and go deeper with food trends and kitchen challenges weekly.
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