Cook Like a Chef With Amanda Cohen

A pioneer in vegetable-forward cuisine, James Beard Award-nominated chef Amanda Cohen opened New York City’s first vegetable-focused restaurant, Dirt Candy, in 2008. In addition to earning its first Michelin star in October 2022, Dirt Candy has been called “The Absolute Best Restaurant on the Lower East Side” by New York Magazine, and Wine Enthusiast selected it as one of the 100 Best Wine Restaurants in America. Outside the eatery, Cohen became the first vegetarian chef to compete on Iron Chef America. She also appeared on Iron Chef Canada and authored North America’s first graphic novel cookbook, Dirt Candy: A Cookbook.

Q: What inspired you to pursue and specialize in vegetarian cuisine?

In my 20s I had to figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up, and I realized the only thing that really engaged me was cooking. I’d been having people over to watch Beverly Hills 90210 while in university and I always cooked dinner for them when they came, and I kept doing that for years after. Without planning it, cooking had become this constant in my life. I stopped eating meat to annoy my family when I was about 13, so learning to cook vegetables seemed like a natural fit. Even though I started eating fish, I still prefer cooking vegetables because their possibilities seem endless to me.

Q: How does your take on vegetarian cuisine differ from other vegetarian chefs?

I focus less on health, wellness or politics, and more on trying to see what I can do with vegetables. I’m obsessed with vegetables. I think they’re so underexplored and so underutilized. You won’t find a lot of grains in our dishes or fake meat, because if we can’t make it out of vegetables then you won’t find it on our menu.

Q: For those who may be considering a vegetarian diet or simply want to eat more vegetables, where do you suggest they start?

Do some simple replacements. It’s easy to make chili without meat, so try that. Make your soups this winter with vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. Instead of putting beef in your pasta sauce, try mushrooms instead. I think we eat a lot of meat mindlessly, simply because that’s the way we’ve always cooked, but it may not be adding a lot to the dish. If you’re going to eat meat, make it special.

Q: What is your favorite way to prepare vegetables?

I love to smoke my vegetables. I find it adds a really nice, deep umami flavor. It doesn’t cover up the flavor of the vegetables themselves, it just adds to it. And it’s easier than a lot of people think.

Q: Do you have any kitchen hacks or special techniques you could share with us?

The reason restaurant food tastes better than home cooking a lot of the time is that before a dish leaves the kitchen it gets “finished” by adding a final dash of salt, a last pat of butter or a drizzle of a nice olive oil on top.

Q: How do you see vegetarian cuisine evolving?

When I started out, vegetarian food had a terrible reputation in North America. That’s changed a lot over the last few years, but as much as I love seeing all these veggie burger and meat replacement companies taking off, I still see vegetables themselves as a big blind spot. So, what I’m hoping for is that more chefs take more vegetables more seriously, and really play with them. Push the limits. See what they can do. Explore. Take risks. We still tend to cook the same vegetables the same ways over and over again. What does clear potato soup taste like? Is a fried carrot good?

Q: Cauliflower and mushrooms have become popular meat substitutes in vegetarian and vegan cuisine. What are some lesser-known vegetables that you see rising to prominence?

I hope people start eating more eggplants, sunchokes and winter squashes—not because those are good replacements for meat, but because they’re vegetables people sometimes feel shy about. But they’re so good roasted low and slow, especially at this time of year. That slow roasting allows their sugars to really caramelize and get intense.

Q: What was the inspiration behind your Portobello Mousse recipe?

When I was growing up, portobello mushrooms were the hot new thing. Slice them on a sandwich! Grill a portobello cap and serve instead of meat! Put it in your pasta sauce! Pretty soon, the sight of a portobello mushroom made you want to cry. So, I wanted to rehabilitate this sad survivor. They’ve got a delicious, dense, almost meaty flavor. I thought if I could get away from their texture, they’d be a perfect candidate to rediscover by turning them into a rich, dense, decadent mousse.

Q: What advice would you give to women aspiring to be chefs or restauranteurs?

This piece of advice won’t necessarily guarantee success, but it will guarantee happiness. Find a group of friends and mentors in the industry. People who can help you through your hardest days. People you can be honest with. People you can be vulnerable with. Having a group that I could turn to for simple questions like “Does anyone know a plumber who will actually show up and who won’t rip me off?” and for more complicated questions like “Should I give up and sell my restaurant?” has saved me more times than I can count.