TOFU TURKEY WITH HERBED BREAD STUFFING AND WILD MUSHROOM GRAVY

TOFU TURKEY WITH HERBED BREAD STUFFING AND WILD MUSHROOM GRAVY image

Categories Vegetable Bake Thanksgiving Vegan

Yield 16 people

Number Of Ingredients 28

Ingredients

5 pounds organic tofu, fresh, medium to firm
1/4 cup sage
2 tablespoons each dry marjoram, thyme, and savory or rosemary; half the volume
if herb is powdered
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive or sesame oil
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup mushrooms, about 3 to 4 ounces, diced
1 cup celery, diced
2 large cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon Homemade Stuffing Seasoning
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
Water
1/4 cup organic soy sauce (full strength for flavoring tofu stuffing;
substitute 2 tablespoons organic soy sauce and 2 tablespoons water
for stuffing squash or pumpkin)
4 cups whole-wheat bread, cut in 1/2- or 1-inch cubes, less with
dense sourdough bread, more with light yeasted bread
1/2 cup light vegetable oil
1/3 cup natural organic soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive or sesame oil
2 onions, diced
6 cups assorted mushrooms, about 1 pound, sliced
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
5 to 5 1/2 cups water (start with less)
1/2 cup organic soy sauce (a little less than 2 tablespoons per cup water)

Steps:

1. To prepare tofu, mash well. Line an 11-inch colander with a single layer of moistened cheesecloth and transfer tofu to colander. Press down to make flat and fold edges of cheesecloth over tofu to smooth. If tofu is medium textured, place a flat object over the surface of the tofu and weigh down with a heavy object for 1 hour. 2. Mix Homemade Stuffing Seasoning ingredients well. 3. For stuffing, sauté vegetables in oil. Sprinkle seasonings, including salt and soy sauce, over vegetables. Add bread cubes and parsley, and mix well. If bread cubes are very dry, add 1/4 to 1 cup water (start with less). Stir and cover to steam a little longer. 4. Preheat oven to 400°. Hollow out tofu to within an inch of colander. Pack in stuffing and cover it with the remaining tofu. Pat down surface so it is flat and firm. 5. Flip filled tofu onto lightly-oiled baking sheet so the flat surface faces down. Remove cheesecloth. 6. Mix basting liquid and brush tofu with half of it, then cover tofu with aluminum foil or with an ovenproof bowl which is a bit larger than the shaped tofu. Bake for an hour. Remove foil, baste again, and return tofu turkey to oven to bake uncovered until "skin" becomes golden brown, about an hour more, basting again halfway through. 7. To prepare gravy, sauté onions and mushrooms in oil. In a small bowl, whisk flour with enough of the measured water to form a thin paste. Add remaining water and soy sauce to vegetables in pot. Bring to boil and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add flour mixture and stir well. Cook uncovered until desired consistency is reached, about 15 minutes stirring occasionally, adding a little more water toward the end of cooking only if gravy is too thick. 8. To serve, with 2 to 4 spatulas transfer tofu turkey to serving platter and garnish. Serve gravy on the side.