We dig Jason because he digs tacos and so do we! Jason Wyrick is a talented chef, culinary historian & one-half of the team behind The Vegan Taste. He’s also the author of one of our top cookbooks of the year, Vegan Tacos: Authentic and Inspired Recipes for Mexico’s Favorite Street Food! He loves puns as much as Carlo (and Zsu Dever) does. So, you know he’s a cool guy to know!
A LITTLE SUMTHIN’ ABOUT OUR FRIEND: Chef Jason Wyrick is the author of Vegan Tacos, co-author of NY Times Bestseller 21 Day Weight Loss Kickstart, the publisher of the world’s first vegan food magazine The Vegan Culinary Experience, and the first vegan instructor to teach in the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu program. He is the Executive Chef of The Vegan Taste where he offers an organic vegan meal delivery service available all across the United States. He is also a former diabetic and in 2001, he reversed Type 2 Diabetes and lost over 100 pounds by going vegan. Now he travels across the United States and the world teaching people how to make and incorporate outstanding vegan food as part of their daily lives. Visit Chef Jason Wyrick at www.thevegantaste.com.
JASON’S HOLIDAY WISH: “Here’s wishing everyone, human and non-human alike, a happy, peaceful, and eminently tasty holiday season.”
A CHARITY JASON SUPPORTS: Farm Sanctuary is an advocacy organization that promotes veganism and provides a forever home to many abandoned, neglected and abused farm animals at 3 shelters in the United States
To support Farm Sanctuary‘s work or to learn more, visit farmsanctuary.org
What holiday meal would be complete if there weren’t a delicious drink to share! Jason delivers with his recipe for Cherry Chile Wassail. Now, we’ll be honest. We’re not too well-versed on wassail, other than from some traditional holiday tunes. So, we’re going to let Jason school us all, because he’s on top of his culinary history!
“Wassail is the quintessential holiday drink with a history that goes back at least to the Medieval period, with some evidence indicating that the drink is much older. Originally, wassail was a cider drink with ginger and mulling spices and oddly enough, topped with toast. It was often consumed in early January during a ritual to awaken a village’s apple trees to promote growth and to scare away any evil spirits that might damage the trees. More modern versions have replaced the cider with wine or other alcohols, but I much prefer the original cider (minus the toast!) Of course, I have my own versions to give it a little twist. Here is one of my favorites.”
- 8 cups of apple cider
- 2-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup of dried cherries
- 1 ancho chile
- 1 orange, pierced evenly with 16 cloves
- 2 (4-inch) cinnamon sticks
- 1 small nutmeg, grated or 3/4 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
- Optional Spices: 10 black peppercorns, 6 green cardamom pods, 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
- Optional Sugar: 1/4 cup of brown sugar or 1 medium-sized piloncillo
- Equipment
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Medium-size Pot (at least 2 1/2 quarts)
- Strainer
- Serving Bowl or Slow Cooker
- Place all the ingredients in a large pot, using any or all of the optional spices if you prefer, except for the sugar. Simmer this over medium-low heat for about 45 minutes to an hour. Add the sugar or piloncillo about 5 minutes before you are done simmering the wassail and gently stir the drink to make sure the sugar melts.
- "You can lower the heat to low and keep the cider mulling even longer, up to four hours in fact, but I rarely have the patience for that."
- Place a strainer over a punch bowl or slow cooker and pour the wassail through the strainer into the serving vessel to remove the small spices, cinnamon, etc.
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