#cooking

[gorgonstaringcontest]

Prev tags from @mlmxreader

I used to live with a vegan that I would often cook for because she found it extremely overwhelming.

I found the trick with turning carno meals vego is to make sure you're not just replacing nutrition and structural function, you gotta replace what it contributes to the flavour profile.

In things like cottage pie, not having meat removes a lot of the hearty umami flavours that give a depth of flavour. You're not getting that maillard reaction on the meat as it browns, and if you're making a mirepoix or soffritto to incorporate, the vego side is going to be all limp and meh because it's not being backed up by the flavour from browning meat.

So how do you fix it? Firstly, if you're incorporating vegetables, roast half of them in the oven until a deep colour develops. Then sautee the rest as normal, and once done, mix in the roasted ones. Make sure to deglaze the roasting pan as well, I'd say with some red wine, and scrape up all the fond that developed from roasting and then add that wine mixture as part of the liquid for the final sauce first to reduce and cook off all the alcohol before adding any other stock liquid. You can also use caramelised onion to give the flavour another dimension.

Also, your sauce/gravy needs some other additions. I'm Australian, so I add a bit of Vegemite. You can also add a dash of soy sauce or boullion or whatever stock base you prefer. But the real kingmaker is just adding a touch of MSG.

And before anyone gets up in my business about adding MSG, understand that firstly - it's naturally occurring, and secondly, the majority of concerns about MSG are actually based on racism so, leave that at the door. MSG is a salt, so you have to be mindful of your overall salt additions but adding a pinch will really bring back a lot of those flavours.

In a dish that requires minced meat like cottage pie, I'd opt for TVP as the replacement - textured vegetable protein. Rehydrate it with flavourful stock and don't be afraid to add more herbs and spices to the dry TVP so it soaks in all of that flavour before cooking it in the pan. You want to go a bit broader than you usually would for herbs - I would usually use rosemary and thyme for something like this with meat, but for vego I'd add a bit of oregano and smoked paprika as well in smaller proportions. Spend the extra time to really reduce the stock to concentrate as much flavour as possible.

Meat also brings fat, and fat often adds a lot of flavour but you can actually get it in via the mash. If you're vegetarian it's easier than vegan - vegetarian, you can use high fat cream and butter instead of milk for the potato, but vegan you'll need to mix different fats that don't have any strong flavours.

For a really bougie touch on the vegetarian one, you can add a really thin layer of bechamel under the potato as well.

Lastly - make sure to thicken the fuuuuck out of the gravy. While you've got it in a pan on medium heat, add a mix of one tablespoon cornflour and two tablespoons cold water. Make sure there's no lumps in that slurry before adding to the pan. Stir it in and mix it through vigorously, and it will thicken in about 60 seconds. You may need to do it two or three times before it gets really thick - you want it thick enough that you can drag a spoon through the mixture in the pan and make a divot an inch deep and it only very slowly collapses back in on itself.

Good luck!

What’s a food from your culture that u HATE #hatersonly

[daily-deliciousness]

Tuxedo cake with whipped white chocolate ganache

[pinkfairiesteaparty]

[pitter-patter-pottah]

SNEK ALERT-

I bet Slytherins would love this lol

Ouroboros Pie Crust by Danielle Baskin

[toyastales]

Steak, Egg, and Cheese Bagel

[animentality]

[montahafamily]

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[jovialtacosharkzonk]

Big help, genuinely!

the same 4 meals in rotation i love you. i love you the same 4 meals in rotation

[its-where-the-wild-things-are]

[reddwoods]

if you’re craving chocolate muffins after the olympic muffin man videos, jordan the stallion on tiktok has the recipe for you

[tvmblrsillyman]

If you're curious how they prepared it by the way

[daily-deliciousness]

Cruller donut strawberry shortcake with whipped mascarpone

[pinkfairiesteaparty]

[bob-artist]

I had an upsetting dream last night.