Red Sauce

Tomorrow is the first day of winter, and that means those of us up North are settling into many months of cold and seasonal depression. And in my case, bitching about how cold and depressing it is. It also means that any fresh tomato you buy sucks. Ah, another thing to complain about.

What's a girl or boy who has resigned to eat seasonally, or just committed to flavor to do? And, now that we're all avoiding commercially canned goods because of their BPA lining, canned tomatoes are out of the picture. It's looking pretty grim for all those winter hearty pastas, stews, and casseroles that call for tomatoes, that's for sure.My solution for getting around crappy tomatoes in the off-season is to make what we've been calling around here "red sauce." Red sauce is nothing more than carrots, beets, onions, and garlic that, when cooked and pureed, come together into a vibrant, savory, red sauce with a hint of sweetness. If you didn't tell anyone that they weren't eating tomato sauce, they might not even second guess red sauce.

To be honest, we don't make red sauce just in the winter; we like it so much we make it year round. Red sauce can be used almost anywhere you would tomato sauce. We slather it on pasta, pizza, meatballs, and sloppy joes.

I'm posting this recipe for mostly selfish reasons (I'm tired of looking it up in a book), but I encourage you all to give this recipe a go. Especially in godforsaken, tomato-less winter.
Pizza loves red sauce!

Red Sauce
adapted from Yoga Kitchen

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
4 cups peeled and chopped carrots
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable stock
1 medium beet, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

• Melt butter in a large skillet. Add carrots, onion, and garlic. Cover and saute, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes, or until tender.
  
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan, boil beets until tender. Drain.
  
• Transfer beets and carrots to a blender. Add all remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.
  

Artichoke Relish

The chronological nature of a blog means that, inevitably, posts roll off the screen to be forgotten in the archives. Occasionally, I resurrect a favorite recipe for those who missed it the first go around. What I have in my hand above is a Jerusalem artichoke (or sunchoke), which is the tuber of a sunflower. It's crunchy, sweet, nutty, and absolutely delicious! These were dug the other day at our friend's farm, but you can maybe find some now (autumn and winter) at farmers' markets and better, local grocery stores. My favorite way to prepare Jerusalem artichokes is as a sweet and tangy relish. Every year, my friend and I get together to can 18 or so pints of the stuff (one year we made 40 pints!). It's become a lovely tradition.Where do all of those jars of relish go? In deviled eggs, tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad, and chickpea "tuna" salad. On top of burgers, sandwiches, and hotdogs. Next to butter beans and black-eyed peas. On a cracker with cheese. We use it on and in every thing!

Having just made our annual 18 pints of artichoke relish this past weekend, I thought I'd pull the recipe back up to the top of the blog for all y'all that missed it the first time, which was nearly 4 years ago! I'd like to think I've gotten just a tad better at blogging since then.Artichoke Relish

Adapted from A Gracious Plenty: Recipes and Recollections from the American South

Makes 17 or 18 pints

5 quarts Jerusalem artichokes, chopped
2 gallons water
2 cups non-iodized salt
3 pounds green cabbage, chopped
1 1/2 pounds onions, chopped
6 large green and red bell peppers, chopped
3/4 cup flour
1 (24-ounce) jar prepared mustard
2 quarts apple cider vinegar
3 pounds sugar
3 tablespoons mustard seed
2 tablespoons turmeric
2 tablespoons celery seed
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon hot sauce

• Soak artichokes overnight in 1 gallon of water and 1 cup of salt. In another container, soak the cabbage, onion, and bell peppers in the remaining 1 gallon of water and 1 cup of salt.
• The next day, drain the artichokes and vegetables. Spread the artichokes on one towel, and the vegetables on a separate towel.
• Combine the flour and prepared mustard in a bowl, avoiding lumps.
• In a 10-quart or larger pot, add the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, turmeric, celery seed, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then add the cabbage, onion, and bell peppers. Bring back to a boil and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.
• Reduce heat to low. Add and mix about a cup of the cooking liquid to the flour and mustard mixture, then add the thinned mixture to the pot of cooking vegetables, and stir.
• Add the hot sauce and artichokes. Raise the heat and stir until almost boiling (about 5 minutes).
• Remove pot from heat, and ladle hot relish into sterilized jars, wipe rims of jars, apply sterilized lids and bands, and process for 15 minutes in a hot water bath.

Miss Rachel's Vegan Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Don't let the thought of long hours in the kitchen stress you out. Have Miss Rachel prepare your vegan Thanksgiving meal this year!

Miss Rachel kindly dropped me off a sneak peek of her delivered Thanksgiving platter (it was delectable, comforting, and generously portioned). Each $22 individual dish includes:

• 'Turkey’-style seitan with mushroom-red wine gravy (or herbed tofu if you are gluten free)
• Garlicky mashed potatoes
• Green bean casserole
• Rosemary-thyme stuffing with cranberries (or rice stuffing if you are gluten free)

Plus, you can add an individual size homemade pumpkin pie to any order for just $8.

Deliveries will take place on the evening of Tuesday, November 22 and all day/evening on Wednesday, November 23. Pickup is also available from 2-6pm on Tuesday, November 22 at Greensgrow Farm Market.

The Deadline for ordering is Sunday, November 20.

For more details, and to place an order, visit Miss Rachel's site. Orders can also be placed by emailing missrachelspantry@gmail.com, or calling 215-285-7622.

Latin Farmer

Update: no longer in operation.

Puerto Rican native Wilfredo Manzano aims to bring a healthier version of Latin foods to the streets of Philadelphia with his lime green Latin Farmer food truck. We found him parked at Headhouse Square Farmers' Market on a recent Sunday, but he also pulls up to Love Park, Norris Square Farmer's Market, and Temple. Like most mobile eateries, it's best to follow their whereabouts on Twitter.
Using local foods when possible, Latin Farmer's menu is comprised of empanadas, bocadillos, collard wraps, hummus, and usually at least one dessert and special drink. Any truck in Philly that sells empanadas seems to sell out fast, and the same is true for Latin Farmer.

As a vegetarian, I would like to see one of the two empanadas, and one of the two bocadillos offered be vegetarian, but with such a short menu, I guess we're lucky that Latin Farmer offers a vegan collard wrap and hummus. And, that vegan collard wrap is excellent! Supple collard leaves envelope mofungo, a traditional Puerto Rican dish of mashed plantains and garlic, for a unique and healthy lunch. The sweet sugarcane stewed onions, and lively tomato chimichurri and citrus mojo really add a pleasant punch of flavor, elevating the plantain mash to a remarkable meal. Had I known a dollop of hummus and baked plantain chips came with the collard wrap, I would not have ordered . . .a side of hummus and plantain chips. While the side of hummus and plantain chips that comes with the collard wrap is just enough to satisfy the need for a little something extra with lunch, the side that you can order separately is probably best shared with another person.

Latin Farmer's hummus flavors change, and this day they had lima bean and saffron hummus hinting at a little spice and garlic, but, for my taste, was a tad too salty. It's nice to see healthier baked plantains, instead of greasy fried plantains.While I couldn't order a vegetarian savory empanada from Latin Farmer, I did get a pastelillo, which is essentially a sweet empanada. The tamarind and cream cheese pastelillo with orange-coriander crema and dulce de leche had so many flavors in the description, but all I could distinguish was cream cheese and dulce del leche. The pastry was perfectly crisped, but the overflowing pocket of cream cheese was just too much — another texture than goo filling the pastelillo would have been nice. The dulce de leche, while delicious, was flawed with gritty grains of sugar running throughout the sauce.

That mofungo collard wrap is quite marvelous, and I'd be eager to try a different version of their pastelillo the next time Latin Farmer rolls to a stop with their healthy Latin eats.

The Latin Farmer
@LatinFarmer

Caramelized Pear Butter

In a determination to not let food go to waste, we've canned more food this summer than we ever have in past seasons — cherry jam, pickled beets, dilly beans, bread and butter cucumbers, peach salsa, peach jam, watermelon rinds, pear chutney, pear relish, and pear butter.

I wish I had documented every thing we canned to share with you, but lately I've been taking a much needed break from blogging recipes (sometimes it's just nice to eat food without documenting it), and falling back on the very easy to write CSA posts (sorry to all of those out there who have hit the unsubscribe button).Back to canning. You'll notice that in that long string of canned foods there are quite a bit of pears. That's because I take care of three Bartlett pear trees that produce a lot of fruit. Sort of.

For the past five or so years, the pears disappear almost over night (really it's in about a three week period) when they are a few weeks out from being ripe. It's a huge mystery as to where hundreds of unripe pears go, as they used to not disappear, but we think it's a combination of deer, squirrels, and racoons that have wizened up over the years.

This year, I decided to not let the critters win. I harvested the pears while they were still unripe. Unripe pears work very well in chutneys and relishes when they are cooked down, so I used them there. I then waited a bit longer for the pears to be only a week out from ripe, then stripped the remaining fruit before the critters could get to them. These almost ripe pears sat in my basement for a week until they were fully ripe.

All in all, I think I got about a fifth of the pears, and the critters got the rest. This is a victory!Caramelized Pear Butter
makes about 8 pints

I was intrigued by the use of caramelized sugar in this recipe for pear butter, and combined the caramelization technique with another recipe for pear butter.

1/4 cup apple juice
6 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
7 pounds pears, peeled, cored and chopped
3 cups, sugar
2 teaspoons nutmeg
3/4 teaspoons salt

• Combine apple juice and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice in a deep pot. Add peeled and chopped pears to the apple and lemon juice as they are chopped to avoid browning.
  
• Cook pears over medium heat until juices are released and can be brought to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until pears are very tender, about 20 minutes.
• Remove pot from heat and blend pears until smooth. I like to use a stick blender that you put directly into the pot, but a food processor, blender or food mill can be used, as well. Return the pear mixture back to the pot.
  
• In a skillet, heat the sugar, stirring frequently until it melts and turns an amber color. Being very careful, pour the caramelized sugar into the pear mixture. This will produce a lot of sizzling and splattering, so be sure you have the pear mixture in a tall pot. The caramelized sugar will harden immediately upon contact with the pear mixture, but will dissolve with stirring.
• Add nutmeg, salt, and remaining 3 tablespoons lemon to the pear mixture.
  
• Simmer on medium-low heat, stirring regularly to prevent burning until pear butter has thickened to the desired consistency. Cooking time will vary depending on juiciness of pears, the size of your pot, and if you halved or doubled the recipe.
  
• Turn off the heat, and fill sterile jars. Wipe rims and apply lids and bands. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove jars from water, and let cool on the counter for at least 2 hours. Check lids for a proper seal. Can be store for up to one year.
  

Pear butter before the addition of caramelized sugar.
Caramelized sugar.
Pear butter after the addition of caramelized sugar.

Recap: A Full Plate's 1st Annual Chili Cook-Off

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of being a judge at A Full Plate's 1st Annual Chili Cook-off at Liberty Lands Park in Northern Liberties. I've judged before for A Full Plate's Rib Cook-off (look for that event some time later this year), and it's always a good time to get outdoors and critically rate food with fellow food lovers, whether you're on a judging panel or part of the crowd casting your vote for people's favorite.

The great thing about A Full Plate's cook-offs is that they don't leave out the vegans and vegetarians. Competitors in the chili cook-off were strongly encouraged to make a vegan chili for the event (most did), and A Full Plate's buffet of sides also had vegan and vegetarian offerings.Before it was time to judge, I had the boy get me a plate of mac and cheese and a seitan-based hot dog made by Shannon Dougherty, co-owner and chef of A Full Plate. All of the chili that came my way at the judging table was good, but one stood out far above the others, at least in my eyes — the chili with black beans and tempeh topped with fried tofu and scallions. When judging, we have no idea of which team made what chili, and we aren't allowed to walk around the main event prior to judging, so after I was done with my official duties I made my way around the tables to find out who made my favorite chili.

It was Kraftwork. Good job guys!

Yet, Kraftwork's vegan chili didn't win any awards, despite my awarding them high scores. Shouldn't the vegetarian's vote count more? Just kidding. I'm all for fairly tabulated results.
Above is the first place trophy awarded to Darling's Diner for their vegan chili. Second place in the vegan chili category went to PYT.

All winners:

Red chili, professional
1st - Higher Grounds Café
2nd - PYT

Red chili, amateur
1st - Pork Barrel Politics
2nd - Bigg Rigg

White chili, professional
1st - PYT
2nd - Kraftwork

White chili, amateur
1st - Bigg Rigg
2nd - Pork Barrel Politics

Vegan chili, professional
1st - Darling's Diner
2nd - PYT

Vegan chili, amateur
1st - I Wanna Hallucinate Too
2nd - Chili That Will Get You Lei'd

People's Choice
1st - Higher Grounds Café
2nd - Darling's Diner

Little Baby's Ice Cream

I'm screaming! Are you screaming?

Caught up with Little Baby's Ice Cream, one of Philly's newest mobile food purveyors — tricycle is how they roll — on their first day of business this past weekend at the Trenton Avenue Arts Festival. It was a busy weekend, as they then triked it on over to the Punk Rock Flea Market the next day.Little Baby's Ice Cream hand makes some tasty and eclectic ice cream flavors that make my frozen custard lovin' heart go pitter-pat. Flavors like cardamom caramel, balsamic banana, earl grey sriracha, bourbon bourbon vanilla, birch beer vanilla bean. They even make a vegan ice cream so all the kids can scream!!
I sampled a scoop each of cardamom caramel and vegan coconut tea. Oh, am I going to steal Little Baby's idea of cardamom ice cream with caramel ribbons running throughout! Creamy and dreamy. And the vegan coconut tea ice cream made with coconut milk was just as good and rich, albeit not as creamy, but that's just how ice cream without cream goes.To find out where Little Baby's Ice Cream is going to show up next, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Coconut What?

Hey, wanna see something super freakin' cool? See that there vegan brunch plate from Memphis Taproom? That "bacon" is made from coconut chips — yes, coconut chips! — and it's got all the right smokey flavors and all-important crisp. I tell ya, it's akin to culinary voodoo.

I first heard about the technique of using coconut chips to make vegan bacon over on Vegan Brew. It sort of blew my mind, and I'm not sure how I didn't know about this all these years.

Then I was watching Food Network's series Diner, Drive-ins and Dives specifically to catch the segment on Memphis Taproom, a vegetarian and vegan friendly gastopub in Kensington. It was on this episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives that I peeped Memphis Taproom's chef smoking coconut (home cooks without a smoker can just use liquid smoke) for their vegan smoked coconut club sandwich. Oh, joy, I can have coconut bacon without lifting a finger in the kitchen.

On their own, coconut bacon chips are a bit hard to eat with a fork because of their small size, but I could certainly go for coconut bacon bits crumbled over a bowl of grits, or between bread like Memphis Taproom's club sandwich. Gotta get back there! Or just make my own.

Raw Kale Salad with Root Vegetables

So, how's my personal challenge to actually cook new recipes from books, blogs, and magazines going?

Not too shabby! I've managed to cook two to three new recipes each week. The variety and change in nightly dishes has been wonderful, but actually discovering recipes that I'd make again has been a bit elusive. Out of ten or more recipes we've tried out, only two have been winners, one of those being a very simple kale salad perfectly suited for winter.
This salad is so simple, it's almost absurd to write a formal recipe, but it does involve a nifty technique to "soften" uncooked kale (also works on collards) by massaging them with oil, vinegar, and salt. I've been meaning to try this massaging technique for years now, but somehow haven't.

I am now an experienced kale masseuse! A little oil, vinegar, and salt, plus a tender touch does wonders on raw kale, making it wilt just enough to take the edge off of raw greens. Raw root vegetables grated, julienned, or peeled into ribbons liven up the salad, along with a simple vinaigrette. I used carrots, beets, and parsnips, but could also see rutabagas, fennel, kohlrabi, jicama or turnips working well in the salad. Feel free to use your favorite vinaigrette, too.Raw Kale Salad with Root Vegetables
serves 6
adapted from Vegetarian Times

Salad
1 large bunch of kale, stems removed, leaves cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoons salt
1 carrot, grated (1/2 cup)
1 parsnip, grated (1/2 cup)
1 beet grated (1/2 cup)
1 cup pistachios (or other nut)

Dressing
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons agave nectar (or maple syrup)

• Place kale in a large bowl. Drizzle the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and salt over the kale. Gently massage (softly squeeze) the kale for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly wilted. Let rest for 30 minutes.
  
• To make the dressing, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, soy sauce, and agave nectar in a small bowl.
• Add carrots, parsnips, beets, and dressing to the kale. Toss to mix.
• Garnish with nuts and serve.
  

Vegan Lunch Delivery

Miss Rachel's Pantry is now delivering $10 vegan lunches every Friday to wherever you work or live in downtown Philadelphia. Each week there will be three vegan options (including a gluten-free option), which includes a sandwich, soup, fruit, and sweet treat.* It's like having a mom who lovingly packs you a brown bag lunch! Just be sure to get your order in by the day before Friday.

This week's options are:

• The Jim - Tofu “chicken” salad sandwich - creamy with a zippy Dijon mayo and crisp romaine on a local roll, a cup of veggie-noodle soup, a local apple and a chocolate chip cookie
• The Bubeleh - Seitan Reuben with slaw, gazillion island dressing, homemade pickles and crisp romaine, a cup of veggie-noodle soup, a local apple and a chocolate chip cookie
• The Silly Yak - (gluten-free option) Sweet Korean-style BBQ tofu tacos with shredded romaine and slaw, a cup of veggie soup, a local apple and a crisp rice treat

*Cookie Monster ate my cookie before the photo shoot.

Wheat Berry Salad with Dates and Red Onions

Check it, I'm calling the wheat berry the next big grain. Your mom's hip to quinoa, and the stock boy at the grocery store can finally pronounce quinoa. It's time for something new. Quinoa, I'm not done with you (you pack so much protein and cook up in a jiff), but I need another grain to keep me occupied.

Wheat berries are the entire wheat kernel (except for the hull), comprising the bran, germ, and endosperm, so pack a bit of nutrition and fiber, but what I love about wheat berries is how nutty and chewy these little nugs are. Your mouth gets a workout with wheat berries!
I haven't been able to stop thinking about the chewy, hearty wheat berries in the salad I had a few months ago in D.C.. Unfortunately, unless you're eating at some crunchy, healthy salad bar, you probably aren't going to run into wheat berries out on the town, so have to take craving matters into your own hands.

I had to roll my eyes at my self for having never cooked wheat berries before, but it's easy. Go to your nearest health food store or regular grocery store that has a good bulk bin section and locate wheat berries — sometimes hiding under the pseudonym "hard winter red or white wheat." Then just simmer those grains for 45 minutes, no pre-soaking required.

I've got a whole bag of wheat berries and am excited to set the trend this winter. Below is a sweet dried fruit wheat berry salad similar to the one I had in D.C., but next up I'm trying this more savory wheat berry salad that incorporates loads of roasted root vegetables, because I just love to sit down with a rounded, one-bowl meal.Wheat Berry Salad with Dates and Red Onions
adapted from the kitchn
serves 6-8

I went with what I had in the cupboards, and substituted dates for dried figs in the original recipe. Apricots might also be nice. Since the salad is sweet with dried fruit and a sweet dressing, I also cut down on the agave nectar. And the oil was cut in half, because I hate oily salads.

1 1/2 cups wheat berries
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dates, chopped
1/2 medium red onion, chopped finely
3 large stalks celery, chopped finely
1/8 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup roasted, sliced almonds
handful fresh parsley or mint, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste

• In a saucepan, cover wheat berries with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, partially cover pan with a lid, and simmer on low for 45 minutes, or until wheat berries are soft but still chewy.
  
• Meanwhile, add rice vinegar and orange juice in a small saucepan on the stove, and heat until boiling. Turn off heat, and add dates and raisins to the liquid to soften and absorb some of the liquid.
• When the wheat berries are done cooking, drain and transfer to a large bowl.
  
• Into the large bowl, add the remaining ingredients along with the dried fruit and liquid in the saucepan. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are combined.
  
• Serve warm or room temperature. Can be made up to three days in advance.
  

Miss Rachel's Pantry

So, I'm sending Twitter messages back and forth one day with Rachel Klein of the blog Miss Rachel's Pantry, and she says, "Hey, I have a little extra food left over today. How about I drop some off for you?"

Why does Miss Rachel have extra food? Because she's cooks up batches of vegan food that is sold locally at Green Aisle in South Philly, and at Greensgrow's Saturday farmer's market in Fishtown. Miss Rachel is also a personal chef, offering in-home vegan cooking or meal delivery. She caters special events, and has holiday meal packages, too, like the over 50 vegan Thanksgiving dinners she recently prepared!

Miss Rachel dropped off for me baked beans, collards, and mashed potatoes. It was like she knew all my favorite foods!

The skin-on, mashed red potatoes are home-style chunky, and lightly seasoned with garlic and truffle oil, letting the potatoes really shine through.

And, this Southern girl gives a huge thumbs up to Miss Rachel's tenderly cooked collards with just a hint of spice and sweetness. Studded with a few bits of sweet potato, I think I'm going to steal that trick the next time I make collards.

Man, oh man! Those slow baked beans in thick, sweet, tomato-based sauce with caramelized onions are a religious experience. These are not canned baked beans! As I went to wash off my plate before opening the dishwasher, I licked my plate instead of turning on the water. Yep, I licked my plate, that's how good Miss Rachel's baked beans are!

Miss Rachel is your girl, if you've ever wished to come home to a healthy, home-cooked vegan meal, or have someone else prepare a full vegan spread for an upcoming party. Miss Rachel even caters to bands on tour, so what ever you need, she can probably do it.

Check out Miss Rachel's site for details on meals and catering. And, for a quick fix, duck into Green Aisle for Miss Rachel's soups, or Greensgrow on Saturdays for Miss Rachel's sandwiches, casseroles and other sides.

Membrillo

Here's a fun project if your pantry if over stocked with jellies and jams from the summer canning season, but you just can't help yourself from the joys of boiling fruit and sugar: make membrillo!

Membrillo, or quince paste, is a thick, sweet fruit paste traditionally paired with Manchego, a Spanish sheep's milk cheese, but, really, don't stop at just one kind of cheese. And don't stop at cheese, either. How about using membrillo in a pastry?

If you're not familiar with quince, quince is a hard fruit related to apples and pears, and has a most beautiful, sweet floral aroma. Quince is most often cooked, as it's too sour for most people to eat out of hand.

Quince are in season now, and because I run into quince a bit at work, I decided to tackle the recipe for membrillo in the current Vegetarian Times. Extremely easy, and quite impressive when you whip out a last minute cheese plate and can brag about your homemade membrillo.You'll start by peeling, coring, and chopping the quince. Then you'll cover the quince along with a few strips of lemon peel with water, and simmer covered until tender.Whirl the quince and lemon peel around in a food processor, then add it back to the pot along with sugar and a little lemon juice.
From here, you just simmer until the puree reduces to a very thick paste and magically turns a lovely shade of pinkish orange. Tannins are the magic.Spread the paste in a parchment paper-lined container for easy lifting when the paste is done chilling and firming, then cut off a few slices to enjoy.Membrillo
adapted from Vegetarian Times
makes about 1 cup

2 quince, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
3 strips of lemon peel
sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

• In a medium saucepan, add quince and lemon peel. Add enough water to the saucepan to cover the quince. Bring water to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer 10-30 minutes, or until tender (yours may take significantly longer to become tender depending on the fruit). Drain water from quince.
• Add quince and lemon peel to a food processor and puree. Measure the volume of the quince puree, then return quince puree to the saucepan.
• How ever much quince puree you have, add an equal amount of sugar to the sauce pan, along with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
  
• Simmer quince and sugar mixture over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very thick, about 45-90 minutes.
  
• Transfer quince paste to a parchment paper-lined container, and cool.
• Unmold quince paste, and slice.
  

Blackbird Pizzeria

How does one decide which slice of pizza to order when none of the pizzas are off limits? The freshest one out of the oven, of course.

Straight out of the oven, a hot, fresh pie topped with perfectly toasted artichoke hearts, soft and sweet caramelized onions, just enough crumbles of peppery seitan sausage, and Daiya cheese (the non-soy vegan cheese voted most popular in school by those who like melty and creamy personalities), slid into the counter display case next to a plain vegan cheese pizza and a vegan pepperoni pizza. Hot or not, the vegan artichoke pizza had my name on it.I should stop using vegan as a descriptor, because at Blackbird Pizzeria, the recently opened and much anticipated pizza and sandwich shop, everything is vegan. Into the same space on 6th Street formerly occupied by Gianna's Grille, the loved/hated vegan and non-vegan pizzeria (everyone loved Gianna's until they fessed up to knowingly serving vegans non-vegan cheese), Blackbird has landed and taken the same genre of food (vegan pizza and sandwiches), waved a magic wand, and made vegan pizza and sandwiches a hundred times better.

I'm sure Blackbird's chef and co-owner, Mark Meebus, previously a chef at Philly's haute vegan restaurant, Horizons, helped foster the sense of pride in food that is clearly evident at Blackbird, along with partner Ryan Moylan.
I'm going to add Blackbird's pizza to the list of new Philly pizza darlings which includes Stella and Zavino. The dough at Blackbird is a bit different, though, and, dare I say, I think I like Blackbird's better.

Blackbird's always crispy and never saggy crust offers a little something for all types of crust lovers — thick, medium, and thin. Thin in the middle, gradually growing thicker toward the outside, and then a huge lip that is crispy on the outside, but soft and warm on the inside. Some may say that huge pizza lip is a waste, but get a hot pie straight out of the oven and I think you'll be a big-lip convert. All you vegans who suffered through the dog food-like vegan cheesesteaks at Gianna's, come to Blackbird and see how a vegan cheesesteak should be done. Seitan at Blackbird is supplied by Upton's Naturals in Chicago, and their thinly sliced "Philly style" seitan is browned on a griddle along with green peppers, onions, and mushrooms fill a crusty, long roll, the heat melting the mild Daiya cheese into a proper goo that seeps throughout. One of the best cheesesteaks I've ever eaten, and comes about as close to the real thing as you'd want.

Zing! And, just like that, Blackbird waved it's magic wand and elevated the casual cuisine of vegan pizza and cheesesteaks.

Sandwiches will set you back about $8. A plain cheese pizza slice is $3, and a whole plain cheese pizza is $15. Pizza toppings are extra, and include goodies such as seitan pepperoni, seitan sausage, green peppers, mushrooms, fennel, artichokes, caramelized onions, avocado, jalapeno, black olives, and garlic. A bbq portobello sandwich, fries, and sweets from Vegan Treats are also on the current menu, which should see a few new items in the near future.

While the business gets going full force, it's cash only and hours are limited to Tuesday-Sunday from 3pm-10pm. Delivery has yet to be rolled out, but when it does Blackbird and their pizzas will be on auto-dial.


Blackbird Pizzeria
507 S. 6th St., Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-625-6660