Vegetarian Journal's Foodservice Update
Healthy Tips and Recipes for Institutions
Volume VIII, Number 1 Winter 1999/2000
VEGETARIAN FOODSERVICE HOTLINE
Question: My vegan customers are tired of melted margarine or tomato
sauce as their only choices for gravies. What else can I do?
Answer: The possibilities are endless! If you’re pressed for
time, use commercial barbecue sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or mushroom gravy
mix (sees the information on the Knorr bases in this edition). Just be sure
to read the ingredient listings to avoid using meat extracts, sugar, or dairy
extracts such as lactose or whey, which can be added for texture. Prepared
salsas can be used as is or jazzed up with fresh orange or grapefruit pieces,
fresh tomatoes, peppers, chilies and onions, minced canned pineapple, or
fresh mango or papaya pieces.
Orange juice concentrate thinned with pineapple juice and seasoned with orange
zest, lemon juice, and ginger makes a great sweet and sour sauce and a glaze
for veggies or baked tofu. Fresh or thawed frozen berries can be puréed
with a small amount of orange or apple juice concentrate and used as a dessert
sauce for fruit salad or for soy or rice ice cream or sorbet.
If you have time to create sauces from scratch, here’s how the chefs
do it. Roux (equal parts fat and flour) is used as a thickening agent for
milks or stock. To make a roux, melt margarine (or heat oil) and add an equal
amount of flour. This will give you a "play doh" textured paste that can
then be slowly added to heating soy milk or vegetable stock. For one gallon
of liquid you need one pound of roux (or 8 ounces of fat and 8 ounces of
flour). This will give you a medium-thick sauce. Béchamel sauce is
a classic cream sauce. Prepare it by heating soy milk, stirring in roux and
letting it simmer until it thickens. Season it with a studded onion –
a small peeled onion that has a bay leaf attached to it with whole cloves.
Veloute sauce is a combination of roux and stock (you can use a veggie or
mushroom stock) that is allowed to reduce for thickness and flavor.
For a cold sauce, don’t discount mayonnaise. Purchase vegan mayonnaise
and season it with lemon juice, chopped onions, minced garlic, minced pickles
or relish, capers, and spices, such as white pepper, basil, oregano, chili
powder, or curry powder. You can use a puréed silken tofu if you
can’t locate vegan mayo.
Puréed, sautéed vegetables can be allowed to reduce until they
yield a thick sauce. We like to sauté carrots, celery, onions, and
bell pepper, add our secret ingredient (vegetable juice cocktail and a little
red wine), purée it and allow it to cook until thick.
Cooked, puréed beans can be thinned with vegetable stock, soy milk,
or vegetable juice to make a thick sauce (or used, left thick, as a dip).
These are just some of the ideas for vegan sauces that may come in handy
for steamed, grilled, or roasted veggies, hot veggie sandwiches, cooked grains,
and casseroles.
Excerpts from the Winter 1999/2000
Issue:
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