Merida Anderson - Vegan Secret Supper: Bold & Elegant Menus from a Rogue Kitchen

MRIDA ANDERSON ARSENAL PULP PRESSVANCOUVER VEGAN SECRET SUPPER Copyright 2013 by Mrida Anderson All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any part by any meansgraphic, electronic, or mechanicalwithout the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may use brief excerpts in a review, or in the case of photocopying in Canada, a license from Access Copyright. ARSENAL PULP PRESS Suite 101 211 East Georgia St. Vancouver, BC V6A 1Z6 Canada arsenalpulp.com The publisher gratefully acknowledges the support of the Government of Canada (through the Canada Book Fund) and the Government of British Columbia (through the Book Publishing Tax Credit Program) for its publishing activities. The author and publisher assert that the information contained in this book is true and complete to the best of their knowledge. All recommendations are made without the guarantee on the part of the author and publisher.

The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information. For more information, contact the publisher. Note for our UK readers: measurements for non-liquids are for volume, not weight. Design by Lindsey Hampton Interior photographs by Mrida Anderson Cover and additional photographs by Danny Rico Editing by Susan Safyan Nutritional analysis and research by Zsofia Zambo, MSc, Human Nutrition Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication: Anderson, Mrida Vegan secret supper [electronic resource]: bold & elegant menus from a rogue kitchen / Mrida Anderson. Includes index. Electronic monograph in EPUB format.

Issued also in an print format. ISBN 978-1-55152-497-9 1. Vegan cooking. 2. Cookbooks. Title. Title.

TX837.A455 2013 641.5636 C2012-906810-1 For Erin Edwards, for being the best server VSS ever had and for bringing me a bow tie so we would match.

For Quori, who took over for Erin, ended up on the East Coast, and continues to serve. For Alissa Raye, who let me turn our tiny attic in East Vancouver into a restaurant. For all the ladies at the Green Haus for letting me do the same, and the many folks at 433 who let me take over their entire main floor. And everyone at The Penthouse in Brooklyn for eating all the leftovers. For Peewee, the best host VSS ever had. And for my mum, who wouldnt cook for me anymore after I told her I was veganuntil she herself became vegetarian. (I had learned to cook by then.) Ive been friends with Mrida for close to six years now, and Ive known her to do a lot of things. (I had learned to cook by then.) Ive been friends with Mrida for close to six years now, and Ive known her to do a lot of things.

When we first met, she was a fashion designer who was apprenticing as a hairstylist, working on an album, and planning to take a bike-frame welding class, who then opened an art gallery. I knew she was vegan, but I was pretty skeptical when she told me about her Secret Supper idea and asked me to be her first server. At that time, I was one of those rather misinformed people who thought that even if prepared well, vegan food just would never quite measure up. Ive never had a better time eating my words. Operating out of a kitchen the size of an average closet, Mrida prepared some of the most memorable meals Ive ever had, vegan or not (I still dream about her sweet potato crme brle). I would even eat the pot scrapings at the end of the dinner service.

But my appreciation for her food wasnt the only indication that Mrida was doing something really amazing; it was plainly obvious whenever I served a beautifully presented meal to guests that they couldnt wait to dig in. And they would always make a point of finding the chef before they left to thank her for the lovely meal. I especially looked forward to serving at Vegan Secret Supper on Sunday nightsnot just because we got to wear matching bow ties and eat the leftovers, but for the entire experience Mrida created, all in her own home. From the music to the perfectly mismatched chairs and cutlery to the delicate, delicious smells wafting in from the closet-sized kitchen, Mrida just has a way with food. In fact, Id say shes damn near visionary. Were all fortunate that Chef M has decided to share the secrets from the Secret Supper kitchen.

Mridas recipes will surpass your every expectation. Bon apptit! Second Lieutenant Erin Edwards is a pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Vegan Secret Supper (VSS) grew from humble beginnings in the fall of 2008. In a kitchen half the size of a walk-in closet in a tiny attic apartment in East Vancouver, my raccoon-cat Peewee and I invited anyone who swooned for a plant-based supper. Every Sunday, we served a three-to-five-course meal with an ever-changing vegan menu of seasonal, homemade foods, right down to the sourdough bread. After just one year, VSS was serving up to forty people each Sunday.

As word spread, so did my passion for cooking. Cooking for people is really the best feeling, especially when the room goes quiet as you serve a course. VSS offered our guests a unique and intimate dining experience, serving vegan fare that you couldnt get anywhere else in Vancouver, and filling an alternative niche for diners who wanted something different, and personal. Since then, VSS and I have traveled eastward, hosting secret suppers in Montreal and Brooklyn. Lets get the credentials out of the way. I dont have any culinary schooling.

I havent worked much in restaurants. My cred is 100-percent street. For me, cooking is trial, error, and love. I believe that anyone can do anything that they put their mind to. I have had many successful business ventures in my young life so farfashion designer, gallery and art space curator, ceramicist, to name a fewand vegan chef. And with all of these endeavors, I just do it and figure it out along the way.

Its the same for the collection of menus in this book: VSS is an experience, and these recipes reflect that. Dont be afraid to experiment with the recipes; consider them starting points for your own interpretations. A lot of the menus in this book can be taken apart and put back together in different ways, with aspects (a side, a sauce, a salad) from one menu replacing those from another. As well, know that most of these recipes make enough for six to eight people and can easily be halved for smaller groups. Many recipes can be made ahead of time. A typical VSS prep is two to three days for a four-course supper, including soaking nuts, making sauces, and refrigerating some desserts overnight.

Have patience, and first read the recipes carefully to determine what needs to be made ahead of time. This is slow food at its best.

Organic farming is focused on the sustainability of the environment and emphasizes soil fertility, water conservation, and biodiversity. The techniques of organic farmers predate modern technologies by thousands of years and include the use of animal and green fertilizers and crop rotation. Most people know that synthetic chemical pesticides arent used in organic farming. Pesticides prevent crop damage and destruction from insects, parasites, and fungi.