IT'S THE TURKEY FAIRY!

Unbelievable. Thanksgiving is right around the corner.

For the first time since moving to Portland, five years ago, I do not have to work or panic about finding time off. I actually get to drive (thanks dad) to Puyallup (Pew-al-Up) Tuesday night and stay until leftovers are gone and Dad is tired of Moe-the-dog til Saturday.

Truth be told I have the coolest family, so I am absurdly excited to go home for Pie-Bake, Turkey Day and Christmas tree hunting (I want the one by the stick).

This year, as I have for the past two years, I am bringing tofurkey....

Now I don't mess around with that store made, tofurkey dinner in a box. I prefer to do things the more difficult and labor intensive way, and well the box/processed/pre-browned thing freaks me out. (It's like grill marks on the boca burgers, when you know they have NEVER seen a grill).

Though admittedly the process of crafting my own tofurkey is a bit disturbing.

I could, and probably to my siblings wishes, bring a delightful fall dish and scrap the mound of marinated tofu, BUT I am fiercely traditional. Thanksgiving=Turkey. Or since my veg conversion many moons ago: Thanksgiving=Tofurkey.

For those adventurous folk who want to try their hand at making a tofurkey, I've included a recipe below... though I rarely follow it to the T, it really depends on your taste/texture preference.

My recipe is a combination/interpretation of several different tofurkey recipes on VegWeb (which is a fabulous recipe resource). And since I haven't made this for a year... I'll probably post updates after my own 2011 tofurkey adventure.


Tofurkey turkey
(This makes A LOT)
Roast
5 blocks extra firm tofu, pressed and drained
1/4  cup fresh chopped herbs, a combination of savory, rosemary and thyme is delightful
2 tbls vegetable stock powder or vegan chicken stock powder
2 tbls nutritional yeast (nooch)
1 tsp poultry seasoning, or more to taste
2 tsp salt, to taste
1 tsp fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Marinade
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil or sesame oil
2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 tablespoon veg stock powder dissolved in a 1/4 cup of hot water
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbl nutritonal yeast
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Stuffing
(This is just one version, I may try using Isa Chandra's Polenta Stuffing from Appetite for Reduction this year, because it is oh so tasty)
But here is last year's concoction.
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 large yellow onion, minced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsps poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon rosemary
2 teaspoons celery seed
2 tbls soy sauce
2 tbls balsamic vinegar
2 cups vegetable broth

salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups dried stuffing mix (check those ingredients! Most grocery stores sell bags of dried bread cubes for stuffing.I recommend that.)

Directions

Okay, not to scare anyone off, but this is an ordeal. To make your life easier, I would recommend starting the tofu the night before and cooking day of.

Press tofu and drain excess water.
Blend the bricks of tofu in food processor until smooth. You may need to do this in batches.
Transfer to a large bowl, stir in herbs, broth powder, nooch, and seasonings. Taste for salt and pepper.

Line a deep, round bottomed colander with cheese cloth or a VERY clean, non-fuzzy,dish towel. Coffee filters work too, but use the unbleached kind. Otherwise you  may be an idiot like me and cook paper with tofu later its difficult to find them to peel off.

Pour the tofu mixture into the colander and fold cheese cloth over the top. If you are lucky enough to have a plate that fits snuggly in the collander, place that over the tofu mixture. Set colander in a shallow bowl, and put weights (five pound dumbbells work great) on top on the plate to press excess water out.    Put in the fridge and press for at least 3 hours, but I highly recommend overnight for texture issues.

After you feel your tofu bowl is sufficiently pressed, start your stuffing.

Saute the oil, onions, carrots, celery, and pecans in a large skillet over medium-heat for 3-5 minutes. Add mushrooms and a dash of salt and continue to saute until carrots begin to soften. Add garlic, seasonings, soy sauce and vinegar. Mix to incorporate. Your kitchen should smell amazing. Add dried bread cubes and turn heat to low.


Preheat oven to 350F

Now for the fun part....
Remove weights from top of tofu and peel back cheese cloth. Starting two inches in from the edge of the mound- scoop out innards and set aside separate bowl., leaving about an inch at the bottom,  You are creating a cavity for your stuffing! Look at you go!
Fill the cavity with stuffing. Using the tofu you set aside, smear tofu over the top of the stuffing to close the cavity. Fold cheesecloth back over tofurkey, set plate on top and press down firmly.

After pressing and with the tofu still in the colander, scoop out the center, leaving about an inch of tofu around the edges. Place your stuffing in the cavity. Put the tofu mixture you scooped out over the stuffing and press down firmly.
Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. Flip the tofurkey concoction from the colander onto the cookie sheet (good luck).
You should have a delightful mound. Remove cheese cloth, or coffee filters, again good luck. If there are any cracks just smooth over with a spatula.


In a small bowl, whisk together all marinade ingredients. Taste and adjust to your liking. 

Brush whole tofurkey with marinade and place in preheated over.

Cover with foil and cook for an hour. Remove foil, brush with more marinade and cook for another hour, brushing with marinade every 20 minutes or so.

This thing can really cook for however long you need it too. It really depends on texture preferences. I like to turn my oven up to 400F for the last half hour, so the outside gets crispy. BUT beware, the tofu will crack if you overcook it... (It doesn't really matter, but it looks less appealing)