My husband surprised me on Thursday, pointing out to me a recipe that caught his eye when he was leafing through the pages of a small local newspaper, one of those 'freebies' that can be picked up just about anywhere. It was a review of a recently published cookbook titled Mouthwatering Vegan, by Miriam Sorrell.

We're anything but vegan, though my sister and her family all are. We personally think the diet is far too limiting. We're omnivores and that's the way it is. Oddly enough we're the odd-family-out, in that regard as far as our extended family is concerned. Our daughter and granddaughter are vegetarian for the most part, but they will admit fish to their diet. Our younger son is the same. My brother is strictly vegetarian and so is his daughter, although not his son or his wife.

In any event, this recipe caught my husband's discerning eye and he thought it might be worth trying. Which surprised me, since though I cook for both of us I know he isn't all that fond of overly spicy foods, and certainly not of curries. When our visiting son makes curries, my husband eats them hesitantly and conspicuously without gusto, calling them "camping food" recipes in memory of our many extended canoe-camping experiences when my husband was the chief cook and many of the recipes he used appealed enormously to us but never to him.



This was called "Potato curry in a hurry"; actually pancakes. The ingredients list called for 3 tbsp.frozen peas, 2 tbsp.frozen corn to be cooked slightly, then set aside. I omitted the corn and 'cooked' the peas in the microwave. Four medium sized potatoes to be cooked and mashed, 1 tbsp.vegan margarine (I used butter) added, along with 1/4-cup non-diary milk (omitted that, too). Then came 1-1/2 tsp. curry powder, salt to taste.

You were to grate a medium carrot, a half-onion, 2 garlic cloves and chop four mushrooms (I omitted the mushrooms), then mix that into the potatoes along with the peas and corn. Adding 2 tsp. nutritional yeast (I omitted the yeast), and fresh rosemary (I used dried), along with 1-1/2 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour. Because the mixture seemed thick enough to form into robust patties (five large patties), I didn't bother with the flour, either.

I pre-prepared the ingredients, formed the patties, left them covered with saran wrap in a refrigerated dish for several hours, and at dinnertime served a fresh green salad, then crisp-fried the patties in enough olive oil to keep them from drying out. They were delicious. But next time around -- and there will be a next time around, because we both enjoyed them enormously -- I'll try mixing in an egg and several tablespoons of whole-wheat flour before forming the mixture into patties.