Vegetarian Dishes

[vegetarian]

Hello friends,

My girlfriend and I recently bought a large bottle of dark Australian rum, originally with the intention of using it in egg nog. We did this, but had a lot left over besides. Right now it's sitting on top of the fridge going to waste. We'd like to try using it to cook some main course dishes, but the problem is that we are vegetarian. Most dishes that use rum tend to either be deserts or on the meaty side. So can we start a thread that is dedicated to main course dishes that use rum? Please feel free to supply some!

Thanks in advance.

[RobertBurr]

Hello friends,

My girlfriend and I recently bought a large bottle of dark Australian rum, originally with the intention of using it in egg nog. We did this, but had a lot left over besides. Right now it's sitting on top of the fridge going to waste. We'd like to try using it to cook some main course dishes, but the problem is that we are vegetarian. Most dishes that use rum tend to either be deserts or on the meaty side. So can we start a thread that is dedicated to main course dishes that use rum? Please feel free to supply some!

Thanks in advance.

Veg, first try making a pitcher of fresh Daiquiris for all your friends if you're not opposed to killing a few limes well balanced with sugar.

Then use the rum and some spices to make a sauce you can pour over baked sweet potatoes.

[vegetarian]

Cheers, thanks for the suggestion. Of course, it's fine to drink rum, but we were principally thinking about using it in food. Like the forum says, there's plenty of ways to use this intoxicating substance, though I realise that the vegetarian matter probably seems annoyingly awkward. Then again, not every vegetarian is teetotal! About the sauce, do you have a recipe suggestion, with proportions and specific ingredients and so on? If so, we'll give your idea a go with a sweet potato or two.

[forrest]

Then again, not every vegetarian is teetotal!

Lets hope not, i've been a vegetarian for a long time and i do drink a bit(quite a bit!).

Here is a great recipe that is super easy from AllRecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Rum-and-Sweet-Potato-Casserole/Detail.aspx):

{You can even cheat and use canned sweet potatoes,
to cut down on time!!}

Ingredients:
* 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
* 1 cup white sugar (i use turbinado, or demerara)
* 2 eggs, beaten (if you are a vegan you can sub with applesauce, a banana or silken tofu)
* 1/2 cup milk (vegan=Soy Milk)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup butter, melted (vegan=margarine)
* 1/3 cup dark rum
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1 cup chopped pecans
* 1/3 cup self-rising flour
* 1/3 cup butter, melted (vegan=margarine)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, mix the sweet potatoes and sugar.
Stir in the eggs. Mix in milk, vanilla extract, and
1/2 cup melted butter. Gradually stir in the rum until
well blended. Transfer the mixture to the prepared
baking dish.

(This is where i would also add a pinch of fresh ground clove (2 or 3)/ coriander (4 or 5), and a dash of cinnamon- no measurements on that i just follow my instincts.)
3. In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, pecans, flour,
and 1/3 cup melted butter. Sprinkle this mixture over the
mashed sweet potato mixture.
4. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow to sit at
least 10 minutes before serving.
**

For a 'general' rum glaze:
1/4 cup butter (vegan=margarine)
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 pinch salt
4 tablespoons dark rum

Simmer until the solids are completely dissolved, and reduce to desired thickness.

Now i never use that glaze i always put some spices in it depending on what i am applying it to: Nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, cardamon, coriander, cracked red pepper, black pepper, white pepper, turmeric-- be creative!!

Make a rum glaze for baked tofu, and grilled vegetables {turmeric, cumin, white pepper, cardamon, coriander)

Or a rum glaze for baked apples (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg)
****

Or make a dressing (2 oz Rum, 1 oz grape seed oil, juice of 1 lime and spices) for a fresh salad with cucumber raspberries, halved grape tomatoes, red onion, grated carrot, jicama, or tangerines.

Well there are some ideas, i hope it helps.

For me Roberts idea was perfect-- make some Daiquiris and have a couple friends over!!

[forrest]

Oh and by the way.... Welcome to the for-rum vegetarian!!
Let us in on your discoveries!!

[vegetarian]

Thanks Forrest,

Your recipe looks interesting. I reckon I'll give it a go, for sure. In the meantime, here is another vegetarian recipe that uses rum. It's not mine, but it's well worth checking out:

http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/austria/omelletten.html

I made this as a meal to have with my fiancee. I do not recommend this as breakfast, because somehow the recipe packs quite a wallop. Although I only used a single dessert-spoon of rum for flavouring, the end result seemed to require a hefty amount of recovery time afterward. But perhaps we're still novices and anyway it was judged a success - apparently I'm required to make it this weekend as well!

[forrest]

I do not recommend this as breakfast, because somehow the recipe packs quite a wallop.

Sound delicious! Thank you.