Tanti Auguri Papà: A (Secretly) Vegan Celebration for my Dad’s Birthday

Almost four years ago, I started a tradition for my dad’s birthday. We would go to Casa Apicii, a lively West-Village modern Italian restaurant. It doesn’t only have some of the most delectable dishes in NYC, but also the most beautiful atmosphere. A 19th century townhouse decked out in revival tudor moldings, tall vaulted ceilings, and jazzy colors are just as impressive as the food. The menu is rooted in fresh pasta and seasonal vegetable dishes which never fail to leave me in awe. One of my favorite dishes was their roasted acorn squash with a creamy sauce, honey, and pomegranate avrils.

Unfortunately, like so many other NYC restaurants, Casa Apicii is temporarily closed, leaving me with the inspiration to bring Casa Apiccii to Casa Kayla. While Casa Apicii does indulge in a sea of cheeses and meats, I wanted to craft a menu that was entirely vegan, without my dad making a face 🙂

THE MENU

Antipasto: Chickpea bruschetta (V)

First up, chickpea bruschetta – a more hearty cousin of tomato bruschetta. This idea actually came from one of my other favorite NYC restaurants, Babbo, which is also temporarily closed. This bruschetta can make any non-legume-lover leave crumbs. The ingredients are rather simple, and it’s extremely easy to prepare, set aside to marinate (for even hours), and reintroduce on a nice slice of crispy bread.

For strictly gluten-free folks, Schar’s baguette or Starseed Bakery’s Focaccia works.

Main dish: Shallot pasta (DF, but can be made GF + V)

I must confess that throughout COVID-19, I’ve been living through the NYT and NYT Cooking app. I start off my mornings with the daily word games and recipe of the day. One day, I saw Alison Roman’s uber-famous shallot pasta dish, and ever since then, I’ve been wanting to make it. This was the perfect occasion.

Her recipe calls for anchovies, but if you’re vegan, you can either omit them or use 2 tbsp miso paste, as one commenter wrote. Since I’m slowly introducing gluten back into my diet, I used Severino’s perciatelli, which are a bucatini-type pasta. I would avoid any linguini or fettucini type pasta, as the best part of this dish is the sauce – and you want it to go everywhere. If you’re gluten-free, I would recommend Rummo’s gluten-free mezzo rigatoni. Lastly, tomato paste brand matters, and to me, Mutti is undoubtedly the best.

Recipe: NYT Caramelized Shallot Pasta

Dessert: Spiced Bartlett Pear Tart and other pastry scrap goodies (GF + DF, but can be made V)

As I mentioned before, I have a minor love affair with the NYT. My dad is a lover of any type of crostata (translating to crusted dessert in Italian), with one of his favorite desserts being my take on Tatte Bakery’s nut tartlet. So naturally, I decided to marry the two, with a gluten-free and dairy-free take on the NYT’s Spiced Pear Tart recipe.

A couple swaps did occur. First of all, I was surprised to learn that many store-bought puff pastry doughs are accidentally vegan. Who knew? Secondly, the pastry cream – filled with egg yolks, milk, and such – needed to be replaced.

Recipe: NYT’s Spiced Pear Tart

These are the following substitutions I made:

• Regular puff pastry was switched for …
  • GF + DF –> GeeFree’s puff pastry (has eggs)
  • GF + V –> Opt out of a puff pastry, and make a gluten-free and vegan pie tart shell
  • V –> Pepperidge Farm puff pastry (this is surprisingly vegan!)
• Regular creme patisserie was switched for …
  • Momo Eats’ vegan creme patisserie

Other notes: When you poach the pears, you’re left over with a delicious pear-sweetened and anise-spiced aqueous mixture. Instead of throwing it away, I used it to make the glaze. Just take 1/2 cup of apple sauce, and in a sauce pan, place 1-2 cups of the leftover aqueous mixture. Let it reduce over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is glossy and of a glaze consistency. That way, you’re left with a glaze that is gifted with beautiful notes of pear, vanilla, and anise that would have otherwise been enjoyed by your garbage can.