Back in June when we started shooting COWBOYS & ALIENS, in the middle of the desert outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, I was the only Vegan member of our gigantic cast and crew. Because our producers are so incredibly lovely and kind, they offered to hire an extra chef for the catering team, so that someone could cook meat and dairy free food for me throughout our 80 days of living all together like a happy cowboy and alien family. THRILLED and grateful, I sent Jason, our designated Vegan chef who had never tried Vegan food, a list of links and recipes, including a glossy new copy of Alicia’s book, The Kind Diet, to help him not get bored without his usual meaty, cheesy tools.
Now, one third of the way through the shoot, he is ON FIRE, whipping up all kinds of new and interesting cruelty-free creations. In fact he is so good, that more and more people are ordering the Vegan option for lunch instead of the regular meat market entrée! Sam Rockwell, one of my favorite people on the planet, asked if it would be ok to order my food for lunch from now on, and I nearly swept him into my arms with happiness and pride.
One of best recipes Jason has perfected is this one from the great book, Vegan Brunch, by Chandra Moscowitz. These crab cakes knocked the socks off everyone who tried them. One of our drivers, the lovely Linda, ran up to me to say how “ridiculously good” they were. She was right. DEEEELICIOUS. And for those purists out there, you can trust me, I grew up very near the Chesapeake Bay, where crab cakes are perfected and taken verrrry seriously.
But let me be clear, this is not an attempt to replicate the taste of crab. I have no interest in desperately trying to pretend I’m eating meat. I love the crispy, crunchy, savory, tangy, satisfying feeling of eating crab cakes, and that is also what I get from these amazing, and polution-free, alternatives.
Give them a taste and see for yourself!
SERVINGS
10 cakes
INGREDIENTS
For the Cakes:
8 ounces tempeh (use the nori tempeh if you can find it, but plain soy tempeh is fine, too)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons Vegenaise
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard (stone-ground Dijon works, too)
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup very finely chopped red bell pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh black pepper
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs, plus extra for dredging
1 finely chopped nori sheet or 1 tablespoon kelp granules (optional, if you like a little fishiness, which I don’t)
Oil for panfrying
For the Remoulade:
2 tablespoons Vegenaise
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard (stone-ground Dijon works, too)
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons capers (try not to get too much brine)
For Serving:
Lemon wedges
DIRECTIONS
Make ahead: Make the entire mixture and the remoulade the night before. In the morning, form into cakes and panfry.
First we’re going to steam the tempeh to get the bitterness out and also to give it some flavor with the soy sauce. Crumble the tempeh into a saucepan in little bits. Add the water, soy sauce, oil, and bay leaf. The tempeh won’t be fully submerged, but that’s fine. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, let boil for 12 to 15 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated. Stir once during boiling.
Transfer contents to a mixing bowl, remove the bay leaf, and mash with a fork. Let cool for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to hasten the cooling process. Make sure the tempeh is barely warm before you proceed, or the cakes may fall apart when you cook them. Add the Vegenaise, mustard, hot sauce, vinegar, bell pepper, ginger, oregano, salt, and pepper and mix well. Add the breadcrumbs and nori, if using, and use your hands to incorporate.
Once you are ready to form the cakes, preheat a thin layer of oil in a heavy-bottomed, nonstick skillet (cast iron is great) over medium heat. Pour a few tablespoons of panko into a bowl. Scoop a little less than 1/4 cup batter into your hands and form into a ball. Flatten between your palms and then roll the sides gently to smooth them. You should have ten 2 1/2- to 3-inch patties. Press them into the panko to lightly coat. They don’t need to be thoroughly covered, just a little bit for some texture.
Fry a batch of five cakes for 4 minutes on one side and flip when dark golden brown. Fry for 2 minutes on the other side and transfer to a paper towel or paper bag to drain. Do your second batch and in the meantime make your remoulade by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl.
Serve with lemon wedges.
From the book Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.
