Becoming vegan was an easy choice; I
can stand up for animal rights by refusing to contribute to the suffering of
farm animals, decrease my carbon footprint by consuming less land-, water-, and
energy-intensive foods, and respect my body by decreasing the chance of developing
health issues related to the consumption of animal products. Yet, people often
ask me if I miss traditional Latvian food, often heavy in meat and dairy, and I
can confidently say that I don’t. I enthusiastically accept the challenge to
recreate dishes typically based on animal products. The iconic Latvian piparkūkas contain lard, butter, honey, and eggs, so
last year I attempted to “veganize” these delicious holiday treats by adapting my
grandmother’s recipe. This year I altered last year’s recipe, where I used
coconut oil and flax seed egg substitute, and the vegan piparkūkas were already a hit at Thanksgiving.
Enjoy!
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| Making piparkūkas with Vecmamma (age 3) |
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| Serious business with Vecmamma and Andis |
Vegan Piparkūkas
Ingredients:
½ cup dark corn syrup
1/3 cup molasses
1 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoon vegetable shortening (Nutiva Original Shortening, suggested)
2 ½ cups white flour, sifted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon black peppers
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon coriander
Be generous with the spices; don’t
level measuring spoons!
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| Sifted flour with spices |
Directions:
Mix and boil corn syrup, molasses,
brown sugar, butter, and shortening in a large pot. Remove from heat.
Immediately add sifted flour mixed with spices. Mix well with wooden spoon, and
let cool slightly, mixing occasionally.
JUST Egg substitute works significantly
better than flax eggs in achieving the right dough consistency.
When the dough is still warm, add egg
substitute, and mix thoroughly. Continue to let the dough cool, mixing
occasionally.
2 ¼ cups white flour, sifted
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
When the bottom of the pot is no longer
hot, add sifted flour mixed with baking soda and baking powder. Knead dough
until well mixed.
Cover dough and let rest for at least
one hour. Dough can be used right away or stored in the fridge.
Egg wash: JUST egg mixed with a splash
of water
To make the piparkūkas, preheat the
oven to 400-425°F and place parchment paper on baking sheets. Prepare egg wash
by mixing JUST Egg with a splash of water. Begin rolling out a fist-sized piece
of dough on a floured surface. Continue rolling, occasionally flipping the
dough and adding flour to prevent the dough from sticking to surface. When
dough is as thin as possible, use cookie cutters to form piparkūkas. Place the piparkūkas on prepared baking sheets and brush
with egg wash, conservatively. Bake the piparkūkas for about 4-6 minutes, watching them
VERY carefully; they can
and will burn very quickly! When golden brown, remove from oven and let cool on
a rack.
Paldies Annelī, for sharing your recipe! Over the years we have gotten many requests for vegan/vegetarian alternatives to the Baltic Christmas
favorites, and while we have featured one or two vegan recipes – blood sausage and sauerkraut
– many of the traditional recipes seem difficult to adapt. This is slowly
changing as more options for egg and dairy substitutes become readily available, and conversations
regarding vegan pīrāgi are periodically cropping up on social media - I think this trend will continue. I
commend you for your effort, and wish you continued luck in the challenge!
Annelī is currently editor for the American Latvian Youth Association
magazine Vēja Zvani, the
most recent edition of which is a historical compilation and can be found here.
The vegan blood sausage recipe can be found here.
Please join us tomorrow on 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas for the great cookie exchange!
Bravo, Annelī!
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