| Moscow Food Co-op Recipes | |
Vegan Bites:
Thanksgiving Tofu Turkey
by Hope Matthews, from the November 2005 newsletter
As I write this, it is early October, and already my family and I are watching yellow leaves fall from the large trees outside our windows. Summer sandals have found a dark resting place in the bottom of the closet and my black wool coat has resurfaced. In anticipation of chilly weather, dark evenings and holiday feasting, I’ve been perusing veggie cookbooks and the Internet for weeks, seeking out a perfect centerpiece dish to complement our Thanksgiving dinner.
This quest has resulted in much pontification over various recipes for meatless loaves and Tofu Turkeys. While some sound good, some border on pretty unusual.
One of my favorite “unique” entrees was Tofu Loaf with Mushrooms and Dill. Sounded simple, but the picture spoke volumes. Somehow I doubt that any dinner guest (even well-intentioned) could eat it with a straight face, as its picture revealed a gelatinous-like block of tofu with bits of dill and mushroom imprisoned beneath its shiny surface. Too oddly reminiscent of a 5-million-year-old Mastodon with flecks of fern forever preserved in ice.
After discovering a few beginnings for a decent tofu-based turkey recipe, I decided to get up the gumption to buy all of the ingredients for my own version of a happy, vegan turkey. Don’t be overwhelmed by all of these ingredients (I hate it when cookbooks say this, but in this case it is true—I promise). Most of them are herbs and readily available by the tablespoonful in the bulk section of the Co-op.
On the day that the Co-op spent its last open hours on 3rd Street, I fortuitously found cheesecloth! Cheesecloth is really helpful for this dish. I had inquired the previous week as to the cheesecloth’s location, but was told that the Co-op was unfortunately “out.” It seems that the sole remaining package was merely misplaced. Somehow I found it lying on the herb counter next to the plastic baggies!
Okay, so this was the sign I needed—I had to make the turkey today! It was a successful venture, so I am sharing this recipe with you. My significant other, who took the gorgeous picture, is a sometimes meat-eater (who sort-of likes tofu) and he enjoyed it—which is a good sign. He is incredibly honest, so when the words he used to describe it were “pretty hearty and filling” and “has a good texture, is flavorful and not turkey, but pretty good considering it is a tofu turkey,” I was pleased. His last remark uttered, “it is really good and not too far from real turkey.” Although I never really liked any fowl when I was a meat eater, I was very pleased with the taste and texture.
Really, as a vegetarian, I just love the idea of still partaking in a traditional Thanksgiving meal—and turkey filled with stuffing rounds off mashed potatoes, candied yams, cranberries and peas very well. The purpose of “Tofu Turkey” for many vegans and vegetarians goes beyond the re-creation of a dish that tastes like our feathered friend. Vegan Turkey helps perpetuate the ritualistic act of creating a lovely, time-honored meal while celebrating our thanks with friends and family.
1 cup nutritional yeast
2 20-oz and 1 10-oz. packages of Wildwood Firm Tofu
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cube Celifibr Vegan Chicken Bouillon
1 tsp. sage
dash onion powder
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/4 cup water
Chop tofu into cubes. In small batches, mash in blender or food processor. Take a potato masher or fork and try to break up large chunks in a large bowl, if chunks remain. I even went so far as to squeeze the tofu with my hands, because the tofu needs to be pretty fine to be successful. Next boil the water and add bouillon cube in small dish. Dissolve well, then add all ingredients (except for 1/8 cup of the nutritional yeast) to the mashed tofu and mix. Put tofu mixture in a cheesecloth and wrap many times. Next, place the wrapped tofu in a colander and place colander in a bowl. Lay a plate onto the wrapped tofu mixture and place a 5 lb. weight (or something pretty heavy) on top to squeeze out all of the excess moisture. Let sit in the refrigerator like this for about 4 hours. Next, make the marinade and the stuffing. Remove the tofu mixture from the cheesecloth and place in a large bowl. Hollow out tofu to within 1 inch on the sides and bottom of bowl. Put about 2 to 2 1/2 cups of stuffing in the shell and cover with rest of the tofu. Then place your “tofu turkey” onto a greased oven pan (I sprayed with olive oil) and gently mold into the shape of a turkey. One recipe suggested shaping two small tofu drumsticks next to the turkey (if you do so just up the ingredients by 1/4 or 1/3, depending on how large you would like your drumsticks). Next, spray tofu with olive oil spray and coat evenly with the remaining nutritional yeast. If you wish, sprinkle on 2 Tbsp. of cornmeal as well. Now you are ready to put this mock bird in the oven! Cook at 350ºF for 20 min. Remove bird and baste evenly with 1/3 cup marinade. Cook 30 min. Repeat basting. Cook another 20 min. Repeat basting again with 1/2 cup marinade this time. Cook at 400ºF until the “skin” is sort of crunchy. Remove and let sit for about 20 min. before eating. Makes great leftovers! BTW—Wildwood brand Tofu is used in this recipe because it is super firm and I thought it would hold together better than most brands. If you purchase another brand of firm tofu, extra “squeezing” and “sitting” time may be required. I also wouldn’t recommend silken tofu for this dish, as it will definitely fall apart—silken serves for a better tofu “ricotta” or “pudding.”
8-10 large button mushrooms, diced
3 boullion cubes
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 large onion (or 1/2 medium), chopped
2 1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp. Earth Balance margarine
Cook all ingredients in a small saucepan at medium heat for 15 min., then at low to low-medium for another 45 minutes. If you want a thicker marinade add 1-2 Tbsp. (gradually) of flour. Double recipe if you are also using the marinade as a gravy for your other dishes, but note that extra cooking time may be required.
1 small loaf of bread (slightly stale), torn into small 1-inch cubes/pieces
4 Tbsp. Earth Balance vegan margarine
1 tsp. rosemary
2 tsp. sage
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. savory
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
1 tsp. celery seed
8 large button mushrooms, diced
1 tsp. Hungarian paprika
Salt & pepper to taste
Put 2 Tbsp. of margarine in a sauté pan or large cast iron skillet on medium heat. Cook garlic and onion until gently golden in color. Add mushrooms. After 2 minutes, the celery may be stirred in. Cook for 1 minute. The rest of the margarine, spices and baguette are then added. Stir gently for 2 minutes, then reduce heat to low. Cook until flavors saturate the bread (about 5-10 min). Add another Tbsp. of margarine and more spices to taste (optional).
Hope Matthews lives in Moscow and amuses herself by reading, cooking, writing and spending time with her family.
|
Copyright: Copyright on articles, recipes, and
images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op
and the respective authors, except were otherwise noted. |
For additions or corrections to this page, please contact the Webmaster.
