Tasty and patriotic souvenir recipes from the road to Ottawa

Recipes always make good souvenirs from time away. Here are three I brought back from a recent trip to Ottawa — patriotic and delicious

VEGETARIAN POUTINE WITH MUSHROOMS

All seven of us, all meat eaters, loved our vegan lunch at Pure Kitchen. The dishes had names like Peaceful, Grateful, Vibrant and Carefree and we all felt Awesome when we left. My vegetarian version of their vegan poutine uses roasted potato wedges instead of fries and dairy cheese curds. 3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, cleaned 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp kosher salt 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

mushrooms and gravy:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (6 tbsp) — divided 2 lbs cremini mushrooms, divided kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups hot vegetable stock or water or more 3 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (or vegetarian version), optional

1 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar 1/2 tsp Tabasco salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1/2 lbs cheese curds or grated cheddar microgreens or chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 425F with a baking sheet on the lower rack. Cut potatoes into wedges and toss with 3 tbsp olive oil, salt and thyme. Spread potatoes over hot pan. Roast 35 to 45 minutes until browned and crisp.

2. Slice 1 lb mushrooms ¼-inch thick. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy skillet and cook mushrooms until browned about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and reserve.

3. Roughly chop remaining 1 lb mushrooms. Heat another 3 tbsp olive oil in the same pan and add onions and garlic. Cook 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes or until any liquid evaporates. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add liquid and bring to a boil. Add soy and Worcestershire. Cook gently 10 to 15 minutes. Add salt, lemon juice and pepper to taste. Thin with additional liquid if necessary.

4. To serve, heat sauteed mushrooms and sauce separately. Arrange potatoes on a shallow serving platter. Top with cheese curds. Pour hot mushroom sauce over cheese and top with sautéed mushrooms. Sprinkle with microgreens or parsley.

makes 4 to 6 servings

Vegetarian poutine with mushrooms and cheese curds