By Debbie Gardner
dgardner@thereminder.com
Cathie Cappa, owner of Auntie Cathie’s Kitchen in Agawam, has garnered a loyal following for preparing food to meet the dietary needs of her customers for over 18 years.
She’s not a trained chef – “I filled in as a dishwasher back in Boston [years ago] to help out a friend, and things just went from there” – said the culinary entrepreneur who worked her way up in restaurants before opening her own Western Mass. café when she was 42.
Prime reached out to Cappa for tips on cooking for guests with dietary needs this Thanksgiving. Here’s what she shared:
Q: Today’s holiday guests come with all types of dietary needs, allergies and restrictions. Are there ways home cooks can adapt recipes to accommodate these needs?
“It’s guaranteed if you have eight or nine people over for a holiday meal you will have a person who has a dietary choice or allergy of some type. And absolutely there are ways you can accommodate them, depending on the recipe. Think of an appetizer, like a nice charcuterie. A normal charcuterie has meats and cheeses. If the guest has a dairy allergy, or is vegan, you can do a vegetarian one. There are so many options for great vegan cheeses and so many varieties of olives and nuts and spreads you can make a really nice vegan or vegetarian charcuterie.
“Or take that Thanksgiving classic – the green bean casserole. You can totally make it vegan, dairy free and gluten free. I made a vegan/dairy free one on Mass Appeal a few years back. Instead of the canned cream of mushroom soup, you can make your own soup using dairy-free milk, fresh mushrooms and I used a little bit of potato flakes to thicken. To make the soup, I sliced fresh mushrooms and roasted them in the oven – then I heated up the dairy free milk, in that case oat milk, added salt, pepper and a little vegan butter, added the mushrooms then a bit of potato flakes to thicken, and poured it over the green beans before baking. If you have a guest that’s gluten-free, then look for something crunchy for the top like pretzels or a gluten-free flavored cracker in place of the canned fried onions.
“Making your stuffing with gluten free bread is easy to do – no one says it has to be white bread, any type of bread will do. If your guest is vegan, you could use vegetarian broth to moisten the stuffing and make it on the side and not stuff it in the turkey. You can use any kind of vegetables in your stuffing – there doesn’t need to be meat – you can put apples in it, or nuts unless someone has a nut allergy, even dried cranberries. If you are strictly looking to be vegan – use vegan butter – and it still comes out really good.
“And you could add a nice salad to your Thanksgiving to help accommodate people with dietary issues or preferences. Choose different lettuces, such as radicchio or butter lettuce, make it holiday-festive by adding pecans – if there are no nut allergies – or cranberries and maybe dress it with a maple balsamic dressing. You could even add some goat cheese if diets allow.”
Q: If one of your Thanksgiving guests is vegan, what type of dish can you add to the menu to help accommodate their lifestyle choice?
“If you have someone coming to Thanksgiving – and they don’t eat meat, or turkey – instead of going out and buying a fake tofu turkey, roast a whole head of cauliflower! I did this for a wedding where the bride and groom were vegan. Take the whole head of cauliflower, cut off the green parts and most of the stem, leaving enough so it stands upright. Place it in a pot with a little water and steam until just fork-tender. Place it in a roasting pan and rub it with olive oil or vegan butter and sprinkle with Bell’s turkey seasoning. Roast in a 375-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes – check it at the 30-minute mark, as it will brown up fast! Make a gravy–starting with a simple roux with vegan butter and gluten free flour – adding some vegan half-and half, add the Bell’s seasoning, salt and pepper, and as an added bonus, a little wine. We sliced the cauliflower like meat and served that with gravy. It was so good even the wedding guests were coming for seconds!”
Q: Given the breadth of challenges a home chef might face with a holiday meal, can you suggest an easy dessert that most guests might enjoy?
“This is going to sound crazy – but a pumpkin mousse. I did one on Mass Appeal a few years ago. The recipe calls it vegan pumpkin mousse, and it takes about 30 minutes. It calls for vegan whipped cream, pumpkin puree and all the spices you use in pumpkin pie – the vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice.
“You can make your own vegan whipped cream from vegan heavy whipping cream – I’ve found it at Stop & Shop, Country Crock makes one. Whip it up using cream of tartar and vanilla.
“Once the whipped cream is finished and chilled, fold in the pumpkin puree and spices, scoop out into individual dessert dishes, chill until dessert time and serve with a drizzle of maple syrup.”
Auntie Cathie’s Kitchen is located at 159 Main St. in Agawam, Massachusetts. You can reach the eatery at 413-788-0022
