Vegan Enchiladas and Arcadia

Vegan Cheese is definitely not my thing, but I knew I had to use it when I finished reading Lauren Groff's incredible Arcadia.   The book is about a commune called Arcadia in upstate New York, and specifically a little boy who grows up in the middle of it - Bit Stone.  I was really happy to see the book make a few Best of the Year lists, because I really really loved it.  Through the eyes of young Bit, Groff depicts the ups and downs of commune life.  B While living on the commune can be a challenge, Bit is surrounded by nature, by other kids (the "kid herd"), and by people who love him.  The book is essentially divided in thirds - the first part is when Bit is a young child and then a teenager, the second part when he is an adult living in New York City with a child of his own, and last, Groff fast forwards to the future of 2018, where the world is a much bleaker and more dangerous place.  Each of these three parts are really different.  The most transportive section is the first, where the narrative is not quite straight and as a reader you really feel you are seeing the world from little Bit's perspective.  Bit is a vegan, and dinner in his family trailer with his father Abe, and mother, Hannah, was often Abe's soy cheese enchiladas.  I knew I couldn't make soy cheese the centerpiece of these enchiladas, so instead these are filled with a wonderful vegetable medley of onion, corn, shitakes and butternut squash.  I kept the soy cheese to a minimum, sprinkling a but on the top - and I must admit, while it wasn't great, it wasn't so bad either. 

 I have a special interest in author's that went to my alma mater, Amherst College, and Lauren Groff is quickly moving to the top of my list of favorite Amherst authors ( I highly recommend her previous novel, The Monsters of Templeton.)   Arcadia is a commune started by a charismatic musician and hippie - Handy, in upstate New York.  He fits right into the stereotypical megalomaniac, philandering cult leader stereotype, but the community he created, at list for a while seems stronger and more pure than he is.  Bit's mother, Hannah, was known as a larger than life personality and the classic earth mother type, but when we meet her, she is severely depressed, and Bit, who is so in tune and obsessed with her mood, has decided not to talk anymore.  Bit's father, Abe, is loving and steady, but anxious to make everyone in Arcadia's life easier, so while Handy is away on tour, he mobilizes the commune to refurbish an old mansion to become the Arcadia home base.  We experience all of this through Bit's eyes, more than anything he is a quiet observer of the world around him.  It is the descriptions of commune life through Bit's young eyes that I love most about the book.  Bit is small and shy and emotionally sensitive, and he is carried around by the adults on the commune.  It is a motley crew, but together they provide everything they need to live without much contact with the outside world - they farm, they refurbish old cars, they make soy milk and bake bread.  From Bit we get to know both the adults and kids who occupy Arcadia - their quirks and who they are sleeping with.  As Bit grows older, his mother emerges from her funk, and Bit becomes a a true believer in the old Arcadia.  In the early years, Arcadia was filled with a select few people with common beliefs and strong work ethics.  By the time Bit is a teenager, Arcadia is over run with hangers on and those only interested in free love and free drugs.  Bit and his family are the old stalwarts, sticking to their old ways and clashing with the lax and entitled Handy.   As a teenager, Bit falls for Handy's troubled daughter, Helle, and her teenage rebellion is an illustration of what can go wrong in a commune.  After Arcadia falls apart, the novel jumps many years to the future where Bit is middle aged, with a young daughter and living a quiet life in New York.  He teaches old fashioned film photography in a digital world, and seems like he is missing an essential part of himself without Arcadia.  The novel jumps again in time to the year 2018, in this is were I thought the novel took a surprising turn.  Groff describes a deeply damaged world where air quality has been destroyed and it is not safe to walk the streets.  At this time he is called back to Arcadia by a tragedy and must confront the ghosts of Arcadia and his feelings about his childhood.  I liked this part of the novel the least, but did not dislike it enough to take away from the joy and wonder I felt while reading the first part of the novel.    This is a really beautifully written book, that at its heart is about family and how to keep it together in the midst of chaos.



Vegan Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce, adapted from food and wine

While this dish is not pretty, it certainly is very tasty.  In particular, I really loved the combination of the kale, corn, squash and mushrooms.  I can see using this as a veggie side dish or main course with rice or beans.

Ingredients
For Sauce
2 pounds tomatillos, husked and quartered
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 chopping cilantro
salt and pepper


For Enchiladas
2 cups butternut squash, diced small
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cups thinly sliced shitake mushroom caps,
2 cups frozen sweet corn
2 cups finely shredded Tuscan Kale
canola oil
12 corn tortillas
non-dairy cheese of your choice along with other accoutrements such as avocado, lime, red onion

Directions:

1. To make sauce, in a medium to large sauce pan, combine the tomatillo, onion, garlic, jalapeno, and vegetable stock and stir. 
2. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, covered for 15 - 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft. 
3. Either transfer to a blender or use a immersion blender to puree, adding the cilantro. 
4. Salt and pepper to taste.  
5. Set aside.
6. Preheat the oven to 400.
7. Toss the butternut squash with 1 tablespoon of oil and salt and pepper and put on a cookie sheet.
8. Bake until tender, this should only take 15 minutes since the pieces of squash should be small.
9. When the squash is tender, take out of the oven and set aside.
10. Meanwhile, heat the other tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and shallot and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes.
11. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender and lightly browned, another six minutes.  
12. Add the corn and kale and saute until the kale is wilted, 5 minutes.
13. Add the squash and stir and add salt and pepper.
14. In another large skillet, heat about 1/2 inch of canola oil. 
15. Working with tongs and quickly, cook each of the tortillas so they are pliable, about 1 minute a side.
16. Drain the tortillas on paper towels.
17. To assemble: In a 9 by 13 baking dish, spoon 1 cup of the tomatillo sauce.
18. On a work surface, spoon the filling in the middle/side of the tortilla and roll the tortilla around the filling.  
19. Place each enchilada, seam side down in the dish.  Pack them in tightly.  
20. Cover the enchiladas with another cup and a half of the sauce.   
21. Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 20 minutes.
22. After 20 minutes, take the dish out and sprinkle some soy cheese on top.
23. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes more.
24. Serve with additional sauce if desired.