The Reluctant Vegan

I'm not a vegan. I'm not even a vegetarian. I don't aspire to either of those healthy states, either. But when the opening of a vegan restaurant in my little town coincides with an invitation to lunch from blogger pal Anna of Anna's Cool Finds, it seemed like a match made in heaven.

Anna's not a vegan, either, but she is a vegetarian and was willing to forego her usual eggs-dairy-fish possibilities to try out Symphonie with me, so we made plans and met there just before noon one day last week.

Symphonie is in the site that used to be the Point Orient for many years before it was Szujhou - you East Bay veterans may recognize the location. Anna and I conferred over the menu and made our selections; I chose "pork" fried rice. If you are curious about Anna's choices and want to see more pictures, click here - we're coordinating our posts.

Symphonie's chef offers a wide variety of vegan possibilities - the menu included Italian, Thai, Mexican, Chinese, Aulac and Indian offerings. I chose to go with Chinese as a salute to the now-departed Point Orient and Szujhou restaurants.

In addition to a really nice lentil soup, my meal came with a small salad similar to cole slaw but with a piquant, yellow-orange dressing that, obviously, didn't contain mayonnaise. We ordered a plate of spring rolls to share and they were generous, if lacking in pizzazz; the two dipping sauces sparked them up a bit.

My fried rice had a vegan alternative barbecued pork that, while in no way convincing me that it came from any part of a pig, was tasty and a little chewy. The rest of the ingredients, rice and chopped veggies, were nicely cooked, freshly made and went down easily. I forgot my camera so Anna kindly photographed my colorful meal and emailed the picture to me. It was such a generous plate that I had to ask for a box to take some home with me.

By far the best part of the meal was getting to know a bit more about Anna. She has led a most interesting life for one so young, full of adventure in other countries, bold career shifts and long friendships. I hope we can repeat the fun on future get-togethers, although she has taken pity on me, the Reluctant Vegan, and says we can meet in a "regular restaurant" next time.

Salut Mes Copains!

Is there anything quite so satisfying as getting together with girlfriends one has known most of one's life?

These are women who have known me since I was fifteen and we were all dropped into a French boarding school. Bonnie and I went to high school together later, too, and Sunny hosted my wedding nearly 10 years ago. We go 'way back.

We reunited a number of years ago after years apart and within minutes were laughing and sharing stories as if we had never been separated. We can tell each other our darkest, spiciest secrets without fear, giggle over youthful (and not-so-youthful) indiscretions, get advice about knotty problems, sound off on political topics, share pictures of our grandchildren, commiserate over wrinkles and spreading waistlines - and we "get" each others' jokes. We rotate visiting each others' houses; this time, we went to Bonnie's house and enjoyed lunch while we chatted.

Bonnie is a vegetarian, one of those who chooses vegetarianism not for one single reason but for several good and sensible ones, but sometimes strays from the pure path. I never know when I visit her house if she will be feeding me bean sprouts and wheat grass or animal flesh, but I always know it will be delicious.

This time, she was on the vegetarian wagon again and she prepared the only dish containing tofu that I have ever truly enjoyed, Tofu Marbella. A combination of unusual ingredients, it was sweet and savory at the same time, an inspired melding of flavors that I will actually make again one of these days. From a devout carnivore, that's saying something! I begged for the recipe to share with you.

I'm not sure which was better food, the Tofu Marbella or the soul food I get every time I spend time with these two delicious friends. I am lucky to have both.


Tofu Marbella, adapted by Anne Rolke* from the Silver Palate Cookbook

3/4 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives, rinsed to remove the salt
1/2 head garlic, peeled and finely minced or pressed (7-8 cloves)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup capers with a little of the juice
1 Tbs. dried oregano
3 bay leaves
Sea salt
Black pepper
2 pounds firm (Bonnie used extra firm) tofu, cut into bite-size cubes (drain the water and press slightly)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white wine
2 Tbs. chopped fresh Italian parsley or cilantro

In a large bowl, combine prunes, olives, garlic, vinegar, oil, capers and juice, oregano, bay leaves, and pepper and salt to taste. Gently fold in the tofu and make sure it is well coated with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least six hours (this is essential to achieve the deep, sweet flavor).

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Arrange tofu in a single layer in two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle tofu pieces with sugar and pour wine around them. Bake for 40-50 minutes, basting occasionally with pan juices. Tofu should be nicely browned and flavorful.

With a slotted spoon, transfer tofu, prune pieces, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Serve over fluffy rice.

*Ms. Rolke notes that each of the 6 servings has 286 calories, 13 gm fat, 13 gm protein, 32 gm carbohydrate, 3 gm fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, and 189 mg sodium.

Bulldog, Bulldog, Bow Wow Wow!

While we were visiting My Beloved's 93 year old mother in a hospital in New Haven, CT (you'll be glad to hear she's out now!), we stayed nearby in a quaint and funny old hotel and took his sister's recommendation to eat at Claire's Corner Copia (no, not a misspelling on my part). Claire's is a New Haven institution that began serving hearty vegetarian food to Yale students and faculty back in 1975.

Not only do they make delicious vegetarian dishes from sustainable, organic ingredients, they have always supported artists, musicians and various progressive causes as well. We enjoyed the funky atmosphere and a gargantuan dinner of mushroom risotto, savory shepherd's pie (with soy crumbles instead of lamb, the only time in my life that I've actually enjoyed soy crumbles) and the richest, creamiest, gooiest mac and cheese I've ever tasted. Had we had any idea of the size of the portions, we'd have only ordered one dish to share - the mac and cheese alone would have fed an army of hungry Yalies.

I dated a Yale student once and visited New Haven before even Claire's Corner Copia was begun, learned the Yale fight song and got a kick out of their silly marching band at the Yale-Harvard game that year. The band members dressed in Navy blue blazers, shirts and ties, with gray flannel pants and loafers, and took pride in not keeping straight lines - the "Y" they formed at the end of their halftime routine had a rather squiggly tail. In the bleachers, an enthusiastic alumnus passed me his hip flask and, thinking it was water to wet our cheers, I took a big swig - my first vodka, neat. Coughing and choking, eyes streaming, while the alum and the Yalie patted me gingerly on the back. The Yalie was a nice guy, nicer than I deserved, really, but he didn't stand a chance when My Beloved showed up later that winter; I hadn't been back to New Haven since I dumped him.

If you go, don't miss Claire's Corner Copia nor the mac and cheese. Maybe you'll find your own Yale student there, studying over a big plate of shepherd's pie.