Eat First

Cooking at home with Shelly Bornemann

Shelly Bornemann has been cooking most of her life, but her food philosophy and priorities took a turn in 2006, when she visited an animal sanctuary in Maryland with a close friend. 

 

"What impacted me the most that day was when we visited the pig barn,'' Bornemann recalls. "I was surprised to see how expressive their eyes were,  just like human eyes. One of the pigs was roaming freely around the grounds and followed me like a faithful dog and it made a huge impact on me. My experience that day was the catalyst to my vegan journey.''

 

Bornemann became a vegetarian first and then a vegan. A decade later, she says, it feels right and natural to live a life completely free of animal products. She has become more adventurous and experimental with her cooking and more committed to animal rights activism and sharing her experiences as a vegan with others.

 

Bornemann, 49, lives in Baldwinsville with her fiancé, Dave, and is an underwriter for Empower Federal Credit Union. She is also one of the organizers for the Syracuse Vegan Living Program, a five-week free mentorship program that began in Baltimore in 2011 and has since expanded to other cities.

 

The education program takes a personal approach, pairing vegan coaches with pledges who want to learn about the practical side of veganism, like nutrition, cooking and menu planning, as well as the ethical considerations. "Each week we have guest speakers that discuss various topics such as health, fitness, the environment, etc.,'' Bornemann says. "We also provide samples of delicious vegan food, set up a private tour at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen and have a graduation ceremony and potluck celebration where everybody brings a vegan dish to share.''

 

To date, more than 1,200 pledges nationwide have completed the program. 

 

How long have you been cooking? I started cooking relatively early on in life. I loved helping my mom in the kitchen and was fascinated by how methodical and quick she was. She’s a phenomenal baker and as a child she spoiled us weekly with homemade breads, cinnamon rolls, cookies, etc. I learned to cook not only at home, but also by trial and error. If I had something at a restaurant that I loved, I tried breaking it down and making it myself at home.

 

How would you describe your style of cooking? I love using fresh ingredients and of course I love simple, one-pot meals. My fiance would probably disagree with me using just one pot. Though I strive for simplicity a lot of times I end up using several pots, several cutting boards and several gadgets like a garlic press, the lemon juicer, a blender, zester, etc... but I’m a perfectionist and want everything to taste and look amazing.

Do you have a signature dish? I love making Tuscan bean stew, which is my "go-to” when I have dinner guests because it’s simple and sophisticated. It consists of cannellini beans, mushrooms, spinach, vegan pesto and wine. I love pairing it with fresh garlic bread and a dry wine. It’s heavenly. 

Favorite cookbook or cooking show? "The Joy of Vegan Baking" by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau has been my go-to for over a decade. The pages are falling out and as much as vegan cooking and baking has evolved, it’s still the best. 

What have you been cooking during stay-at-home life? I’ve been using this time to cook healthy, comforting food. I’ve been experimenting a lot with making “fish.'' For example, I made "scallops" using king oyster mushrooms (shown at left), smoked lox using shaved carrots and mock tuna salad using chickpeas.  

Favorite place to shop: Wegmans, Trader Joe's and Green Planet Grocery. We have a subscription to Misfits Market that delivers discounted organic produce. There’s a lot of food waste because most grocery stores want only perfect looking produce. Fortunately Misfits Market’s business model helps reduce that waste. For me, it doesn’t matter if I get an apple or an eggplant that’s bruised.

Any advice for people who are new to vegan cooking? Experiment, be open-minded and have fun. I love “veganizing” dishes and will look at various recipes online and in books for ideas. Don’t expect your dishes to taste just like an animal product, but experience it for what it is. You may find it’s even more delicious than what you’re accustomed to.

 

Creamy Dairy-Free Cheese Sauce

From Shelly Bornemann

 

16 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes (about 3 medium)

2 to 3 large carrots

1/4 of a small to medium onion

1/2 cup water (used to boil potatoes)

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon brown mustard

1/8 teaspoon turmeric (optional; creates nice golden color)

 

Wash and peel potatoes and carrots and chop into uniform pieces. Dice the onion. Boil the vegetables for 10 to 15 minutes and reserve half a cup of the vegetable water. Vegetables are done when you can pierce them easily with a fork.

 

Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a blender. Add a quarter cup of vegetable/potato water to the blender. Pulse to mix, slowly adding more water until the sauce is of your desired consistency. Add remaining ingredients and adjust accordingly.

 

Notes:  The sauce can be used several ways. Stir some salsa or diced tomatoes and green chilies into the sauce. Pour in a bowl and serve with tortilla chips. The sauce can also be used to make vegan macaroni and cheese. You will need about a pound of cooked elbow macaroni (or other pasta). Stir cooked pasta into sauce.

 

Photos courtesy of Shelly Bornemann

 

Social, from a Distance: A Virtual In-Home Dining Experience

When Gov. Cuomo ordered restaurants across the state to limit their operations to takeout and delivery last month in an effort to help reduce the spread of coronavirus, the mandate left restaurants reeling – and scrambling to adapt and survive. It also left many people cooking at home like never before and wondering what they can do to help keep chefs and restaurants afloat.

To remind people that it’s possible to come to the table -- without sitting next to or across from each other -- four Central/Upstate New York chefs pooled their energy and creativity to collaborate on "Social, from a Distance -- a Virtual In-Home Dining Experience.'' In doing so, they showed some love to local farmers and producers and brought nearly 300 people from across the region together, virtually, to celebrate food and community.

"Social, from a Distance'' was held on Friday, April 3 and a second event spotlighting restaurants in the region is in the works. It's scheduled for April 24.

The logistics of the project were "intense," according to chef Sarah Hassler, of Syracuse-based Hassler Hospitality Group, one of the event organizers. Hassler partnered with Luke Houghton of Pure Catering and Events, Auburn, Tim Hardiman of The Tailor & the Cook, Utica, Michael Lanahan of The Cellar Modern Fusion Restaurant, Corning, and food photographer and social media marketing specialist Chris Johnson of We Eat CNY (who served as emcee) to put the event together in a two weeks.

The event sold out and some guests attended the show only (no food) via Zoom and live stream on YouTube. Hassler's brother, Chad, managed all the technology aspects of the night, which went so far as to seat guests at "tables'' together in private chat rooms. Everything went off smoothly, with few glitches.

Tickets cost $35 (or $5 for virtual access only, no food) and meals, meticulously packaged for reheating at home, were picked up the afternoon of the event at designated locations in each city (or delivered, for an extra charge). The chefs planned each course virtually and prepared them remotely. Courses prepared in Auburn were delivered to Corning and Utica -- and vice versa.

We picked up our dinner box (shown above) outside The Sweet Praxis in downtown Syracuse and opened it up to find about a dozen plastic containers and a helpful explainer sheet for all the various ingredients. Most of the items required just refrigeration, reheating, plating and garnishing.

Michael Lanahan's black bean soup was a tasty starter. The soup had a hint of spicy heat on the finish and polenta croutons and lime cabbage slaw added some interesting texture.

Hassler's dish, "Running Hot and Cold'' put braised potatoes and chilled celery root salad on the same plate with delicious results. The salad was cool and crunchy, with a light lemon vinaigrette. The potatoes, finished in the oven, were crispy on the outside and topped with a slightly spicy remoulade sauce.

The main courses by Luke Houghton were long on flavor: cauliflower and mushroom curry (above) and fork-tender braised beef short ribs (below) with kale on the side. Both were served with creamy polenta prepared with coconut milk.

I'm still thinking about Tim Hardiman's "Layers of Flavors" trifle, which combined blueberries, sweet potato custard, gluten-free sponge cake, milk jam and whipped cream, topped with a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds.

Hardiman said he had been thinking for a long time about a dessert that included blueberries and sweet potato, and when The Tailor & the Cook closed its doors in March he had eight gallons of milk on hand to put to use. That inspired the milk jam, a mix of caramelized milk and sugar that is cooked over low heat for hours. It's similar to dulce de leche.

The dessert was the only dish we enjoyed straight from the container, in order to preserve the multiple layers of the trifle. The photo below by Chris Johnson of We Eat CNY shows the beautiful presentation it would receive under normal restaurant circumstances.

A Finger Lakes Riesling and Long Island Cabernet Franc were available as add-ons for $20 per bottle. Each meal box contained a small jar of artisan flake salt from Syracuse Salt Company. Hassler suggested adding a pinch or two of it to the celery root salad and Hardiman suggested adding a sprinkle of it to his dessert.

Chef Luke Houghton demonstrates making polenta

Technology allowed guests to interact with and ask questions of the chefs: Hassler from her home kitchen in Syracuse, Houghton at Pure Market & Café in Auburn, Hardiman at home near Utica and Lanahan in his kitchen at The Cellar, where he was in the midst of Friday night takeout dinner service. It also allowed guests to send messages to each other and the chefs.

This comment, from a guest who lives in Utica, sums up the experience: "What you guys did tonight was amazing. ... Thank you so much for organizing this and please do this again and again -- even after all the restaurants are back up and running.''

To learn more about future "Social, from a Distance'' events, follow chef Sarah Hassler on Instagram and Facebook or visit the Dining Inside Out website.

 

Cooking at home with Julie Platt-Opanhoske

Julie Platt-Opanhoske is used to cooking for a crowd. At home in Sennett, near Auburn, she cooks for her husband, Chris, and four kids (ages 10, 16, 18 and 20). And as owner of Carriage House Catering, she cooks for gatherings of 50 to 100 or more.

Opanhoske (pronounced Ah-PEN-ah-ski), 43, has been cooking all of her life. Her grandfather DeMassi was a cook in the Army and he and her grandmother, "Nana Rose,'' cooked Italian-American specialties and regularly hosted family dinners with adults and kids crowded around the table. "I think that's where I get my 'cook for an Army mentality,''' she says. Prior to launching her catering business, Opanhoske worked alongside Culinary Institute of America-trained chef Chris Lego at The Restaurant at Elderberry Pond, where she "soaked up as much knowledge as I could to refine my skills.''

For Opanhoske, life in the time of coronavirus is an opportunity to cook comforting food for her family and to plan the next level of her business, which will include a learning kitchen and interactive dining. She plans to offer cooking and baking instruction as well as brunches and dinners with herself, guest chefs and others in the Central New York hospitality industry.

How long have you been cooking?  I have been cooking my entire life. My grandpa DeMassi and Nana Rose were always cooking something and it was usually straight from the garden. Zucchini fritters with the flowers, broccoli raab drowning in olive oil and garlic and pots and pots of tomato sauce and meatballs. Between my Italian grandparents and my Irish grandmother, I developed a love for not only cooking but for feeding people. My Irish grandmother, Mary, always had a knack for creative cooking. She would start one day with a soup, then the next it was a casserole just by adding a few other ingredients. I suppose she learned that from raising eight children. It didn't matter which grandparents house I was at cooking and feeding people always brought me incredible joy. 

How would you describe your style of cooking? I would describe my style of cooking as "simple." I like food to taste like it is intended without too much manipulation from its original state. 

Do you have a signature dish? I would say any kind of soup, but to be more specific, "Pasta Fagioli" (pasta and beans) -- at least this was the consensus after asking my friends and family. I learned from my grandpa and Nana Rose many years ago. I have probably put my own spin on it through the years but I can say that every time I make it, the smell alone brings me back to the good old days and I'm right back in the tiny kitchen on Garrow Street in Auburn, sitting around a cramped table, elbow-to-elbow with all my cousins, indulging in grandpa's Pasta Fagioli and sipping on mini glasses of wine.

Favorite cookbook or cooking show? I would say my favorite cooking show would be "Lidia's Kitchen.'' I love her simple way of cooking easy recipes. Cooking should be fun and simple.

What have you been cooking during "quarantine life"?  I have been cooking everything. Last week I made Bolognese sauce and pasta, roasted pork with rosemary and thyme served with butter potatoes, Pigs In a Blanket soup and last night I made a creamy Cajun sausage pasta. I have lots of kids here to feed, so I'm doing my best to keep them satisfied with comforting food. Oh, and the baking: carrot cake cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, cheddar garlic bread and banana muffins on the menu for today.

Favorite place to shop: I try to shop local and organic as much as possible. Living in New York, that's hard to do this time of year. I buy all my meat from Indelicato's Market in Auburn. They are wonderful people who've run a successful, high-quality market for over 100 years. When she's open for business, I source all my vegetables from Jacqui McCarthy at The Produce Station in Elbridge. She does a beautiful job growing local, organic produce for the community.

Any advice for people who are new to cooking: Keep it simple and use the best ingredients you can get. When you start good you end good. Whenever I try something new, I follow the recipe to a T, then I change what I need to to fit my taste. A lot of cookbooks and cooking shows can be overwhelming. I would suggest "Lidia's Kitchen" and "Barefoot Contessa." I have used many of their recipes and they are very easy and always good.

Photos courtesy of Julie Platt-Opanhoske

Pasta Fagioli
From Julie Platt-Opanhoske

2 pounds dried Great Northern Beans (preferably Goya)
1 smoked picnic ham with bone (approximately 12 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
6 to 8 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch celery, chopped (including leaves)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1/2 cup white wine or dry sherry (optional)
2 14.5 ounce cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
4 or 5 bay leaves
1 pound ditalini pasta

Prepare beans: Place beans in a bowl and soak in cold water overnight in the refrigerator. Make sure beans are covered by a few inches. The next day, drain beans, rinse, and set aside.

Prepare ham: Cut off any excess fat and cut remainder into large chunks but small enough to stir in the pot, including the bone.

Prepare soup: In a 12-quart stock pot, heat olive oil on high. Add onions and celery, cook about 10 minutes then add garlic. Cook five more minutes then add tomato paste and let it toast on high heat until it begins to caramelize. Add 1/2 cup white wine or dry sherry to deglaze the pan. This step is optional but does add some dimension to the flavor. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes, beans and ham chunks (don't forget to use the bone) and fill with water to the bottom of the handle rivets. Toss in the bay leaves, bring to boil and reduce to a simmer.

It usually takes about four to five hours to really cook the beans down and make the ham tender. You may need to add more water as the beans absorb it.  When the ham is tender, remove all the large chunks (including the bone) and let cool for a few minutes while you put water on for the pasta. Cut the ham into bite-size chunks and add back to the soup.

Cook pasta al dente then add to the pot. Serve the Pasta Fagioli with a topping of Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Mangia! Makes about 24 two-cup servings.

Notes:

• Recipe can be cut in half.
• Soup will keep for about a week in refrigerator.
• If you plan to freeze soup for later use, portion it off before adding pasta.

 

A charcuterie spread for one of Julie's catering events