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What to feed vegans during the holidays

By Daisy Carrington | dcarrington@am-ny.com

December 19, 2007

Joy Pierson can't say enough good things about her chef, Angel Ramos.

"He's an alchemist," she boasts, eagerly passing around a plate of Ramos' pecan-encrusted seitan, a meat-substitute made from high-protein whole wheat flour or gluten.

Pierson is the co-owner, along with Bart Potenza, of two vegan restaurants on the Upper East Side, the more upscale Candle 79, and the relaxed Candle Café. She and Ramos have worked together for nearly 12 years. In that time, she has taken him to all of the city's top restaurants, including the three-star Per Se, to ensure he makes the best vegetarian/vegan cuisine in town.

"When you eat his food, your mouth goes into explosions," she continues.

The dish, though 100-percent vegan, packs a flavorful punch. The seitan is served over a bed of tart and garlicky red and green chard and roasted delicata squash. It is then topped with roasted mushrooms, shallots and a red-wine drizzle. The entree is both complex and fresh-tasting. It's the type of dish you're eager to consume after the first bite, and for those entertaining vegetarians over the holidays, it makes an excellent main course.

Pierson, who has been a vegetarian for more than 20 years, recalls the frustration of picking between meat-laden dishes at family holiday gatherings. "The sides for Thanksgiving [and Christmas] are so great; you have sweet potatoes and cornbread stuffing," she says. "The problem is, a lot of people make these dishes with animal [products]."

Keeping the non-meat-eaters in mind, Pierson advocates substituting a dependency on animal fats and bacon bits with fresh herbs. "What are [holiday] side dishes?" she asks. "It's really sage and thyme. You can't tell me that it's turkey."

One bonus of vegetarian cooking, as Pierson is quick to point out, is that it doesn't leave you feeling sluggish the way a hefty helping of roast beef might.

"I always thought that when you ate a big meal, you felt lethargic," she says. "It was because my body was working on digestion. Now, when I get up after a meal, I feel great energy."

Q&A with Joy Pierson

When did you decide to open your first restaurant, Candle Café?
On Friday the 13th, in 1993, [my partner, Bart Potenza, and I] won the New York State Lottery. We won $53,000, and I thought that was providence providing for a mission that was very important.

When did you become a vegetarian?
I was a nutritionist by training, and I only became vegetarian after I met Bart. It was like I watched a good movie and wanted everyone to go and see it, because my body responded so beautifully to the diet.

Do non-vegetarians ever eat at the restaurant?
We get a ton of non-vegetarians, and people are always amazed. We have all these stories of people coming in and eating our food and not knowing they're in a vegetarian restaurant. Once, [after a meal,] someone came up to me and said, "Oh, that was the best lamb I ever ate in my life," and I said, "Thank you."

Recipes:

Pecan-Crusted Seitan

Ingredients:
3/4 cup tomato paste