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Many Moosewood fans are gluten-free, so we always make sure our menu is adaptable for gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan accomodations.
But the brownie, as I wrote about before, is part of Moosewood’s history, and I really hesitated to alter it.

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Lee’s Black Bean & Mushroom Burger

Veggie burgers have come a long way from the soy protein and quinoa burgers of the 1990s. While Beyond Burgers are ubiquitous today, we have never conceded to the concept of fake meats.
Moosewood has invented dozens of recipes for vegetarian variations using tofu, legumes and beans over the years, some more successful than others. They can be tricky and hard to hold together, often too mushy, or else, too dry.
The black bean burger we serve in the restaurant today is by far the most versatile, and foolproof. The trick is taking the time to do it right, and the secret ingredient? OATS!
But it is well worth it. Kids love it! It is vegan, gluten-free, and protein rich; this burger has converted many a hardcore carnivore to Moosewood over the years.

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In 1973, at the height of the back to the land movement in upstate NY, Teresa Tischler, Judy Barringer, and a group of friends opened a 36-seat cafe in a former brick school building located in Ithaca’s leafy downtown. They called it Moosewood.
The cafe served fragrant groundnut stew and flaky spanakopita, bringing ethnic flavors and unusual ingredients that were unlike anything else in the region. It was a success, and 50 years later it is an American legacy brand with a rich and storied history that is now mine to carry on.
In the early 70s, in this agrarian dairy-farming region of New York State, yogurt was exotic and a meat and 3 was still a thing- the local faire was basic. Moosewood was different. It had hand-painted signs and homemade curtains; moussaka was on the menu. Wildflowers were arranged on the tables. It was a hit.

In the same year, David Hirsch and Ned Asta, along with a group of their friends bought acreage in Danby, just outside of Ithaca, New York where Moosewood was located. The property became the seminal gay commune, Lavender Hill.

Soon after, David and Ned began working at Moosewood, and most Lavender Hill members had jobs there at one time or another. The workers eventually started a Collective, mirroring similar ethos as the commune.
“It started out as a place where we would cook for our friends,” says Asta, laughing. “We had no idea what it would become.”

A pioneer in “farm-to-table” sourcing and vegetarian-ish eating (they always served fish and seafood) the Moosewood Collective were committed to serving healthy, wholesome food-the menus changed daily and the cooks made recipes both sentimental and experimental. Their first cookbook, The Moosewood Cookbook, was a collection of these recipes. The cookbook became a runaway success and changed the way America eats to this day.
Moosewood raised several generations on vegetables, both their own children in Ithaca, and the children of their fans across the world.
The overnight success caused a rift in the Collective over royalties, and one member not to be named, in a Shakespearean betrayal involving sultry liasons with lawyers, and double-crossing their friends, decided “Collective” was not in their personal best interest when it came to money. But that is another story, for another time.

Classic Corn Chowder

This classic Moosewood recipe for Corn Chowder is rich and flavorful, an herbaceous riff on classic East Coast Chowder. It is sweet and comforting, and it can be made any time of year. You can use frozen or fresh corn, and it can easily be made vegan simply by substituting dairy milk for oat milk. It is a versatile recipe, easily adaptable with what you find in your fridge or the flavor profile you prefer. You can also add thai curry paste, garam masala or lots of fresh herbs instead dried herbs.

Serves 4-6,

Yields 8 cups

Cook time 40-50 minutes

Stock
1 carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
Scallion tops
6-8 sprigs parsley
4 cups water
Corn cobs (if you are using fresh corn)

Soup
1 cup chopped onions
1 Tablespoon canola oil or other vegetable oil
21/2 cups diced potatoes
1/2 cup diced celery
Scant . teaspoon dried dill
t1 easpoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
3 cups stock
1 cup diced yellow or red peppers

4 cups frozen or fresh corn
1 tablespoon fresh basil, dill, tarragon, or chervil
2 cups milk
Salt and ground pepper to taste
-Fresh herbs to garnish:

*You can also add red pepper flakes or smoked paprika to give it a little spice

Directions:
1. In a heavy soup pot or large Dutch oven, saut. the onions in oil on low heat until
translucent, stirring often-do not brown
2. Add the stock and potatoes, celery, dried dill and thyme, bay leaf, cover and let simmer for 5
minutes until the potatoes are soft-a fork’s tines should go in and out easily
3. Add bell peppers, and corn, cook for 5 minutes
4. Stir in basil or other fresh herbs-
5. Ladle 2 cups of the soup into a blender, add milk and puree
6. Return the pureed mixture to the soup pot
7. Reheat
8. Serve garnished with fresh dill or basil

Recommended pairing: Frisee and Pomegranate Salad, Fennel and Blood Orange Salad, Popovers

And here is the orignal version from our cookbook, Moosewood Restaurant Favorites:

x

Danica

If you have eaten a vegetarian black bean soup or a stuffed eggplant, chances are its origins lie in the sauce spattered pages of a Moosewood cookbook. As Christine Muhlke of The New York Times put it: “It is Moosewood’s world; we are only eating in it.”

The eclectic group that makes up the Moosewood Collective includes a Physicist, a Buddhist monk, a Shakespearean actor, a sex educator, two artists, and several teachers, one of whom is my mother. The legacy of what they made together is a sum of its parts. It also has all the ingredients for a great story— an idealistic mission, a battle, heartbreak, failure, love,a dream journal and ultimately success, all taking place in a messy restaurant kitchen. Their sense of allegiance to one another is rare. The fact that they stuck it out, together, for 49 years, unheard of. Why did they do it? Devotion to the idea that they could change the way America thinks about food. And they managed to change how the world eats, as well.

A Collective Dream Journal kept in the restaurant

But how did I get here, the owner of arguably the world’s most famous vegetarian restaurant?
Let’s backtrack and start in the middle. I have some explaining to do.

In the Spring of 2020 when the pandemic hit, I was living in Spain under a Draconian lockdown with my sons and my partner.
My mother kept me updated on Moosewood during our nearly daily conversations. Prior to the pandemic, the Collective had mostly retired and the restaurant was not doing well.
They were trying to find a buyer, but when they closed in March of 2020 it was unclear whether the restaurant would ever reopen. The Collective wrote a public letter thanking their patronage, and it seemed likely this was going to be the end.

Saving Moosewood became a way to preserve something that felt wholesome and idealistic-during the pandemic I was filled with longing for family, community, and home.
Moosewood is all of those things for me, so here I am, 3 years in.
Daily, I think to myself: Who do I think I am taking over this place? And mostly, what the fuck am I doing? But also, isn’t this amazing, to be part of something so loved, so historic, so much bigger than me?

When I was growing up my mother was the dessert maker at Moosewood, and brownies were in high demand. We were not allowed whole ones, but my brother and I ate brownie scraps in the sun-dappled dining room after school, we snuck crumbs from the cooling hotel pans in the kitchen. And so, in the early mornings, when I walk into the restaurant and smell brownies baking, time collapses, and everything makes sense.

RECIPE: Moosewood Fudge Brownies
Makes 18-24 brownies
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cook time 20-25 minutes

These brownies are the most delicious, bar none. We have tweaked the original recipe a little to make them easier to make, and they are much improved. Pastry flour adds density and adding the melted butter and chocolate to the sugar gives it a toothsome texture.

Ingredients:
1 cup unbleached pastry flour
1lb/ two cups packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 eggs beaten and set aside
1 cup/6 oz unsweetened chocolate chunks or chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup/2 sticks melted butter

Instructions

• *Preheat oven to 350

• prepare a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter

• Melt butter on stovetop in a small heavy suacepan or in the microwave until just melted-do not allow to brown or bubble.

• Take the saucepan OFF the heat-very important- your chocolate will dry out and your brownies will be cake-like if heat left on.

• Add in chocolate squares and chips, stir until melted

• Put sugar and vanilla together in a bowl and add melted butter/chocolate, mix with electric mixer until very smooth. Add eggs and beat well, add flour and mix until the batter is smooth

• Pour into your buttered pan/non-stick pan and knock pan on the counter a few times so air releases

• sprinkle with flake salt (optional)

• Bake for 15 minutes

• Rotate the pan in the oven, for even baking

• Bake 5-10 mins and check-should be slightly jiggly in the middle

• Let cool for 2 hours, it is hard to wait, but it is well worth it.

For a la mode, top with Vegan Tahini Gelato- recipe to come… but you have to wait for the next post!

As always, feedback and ideas help us improve our recipes!

Let us know your thoughts and creative tweaks.

Love,

Danica

PS. The original recipe can be found in the Moosewood Cookbook c.1974