Tofu Turkey with Herbed Bread Stuffing and Wild Mushroom Gravy

[WillParkinson]

I have not tried this. I got it from a mailing list I'm on.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tofu Turkey with Herbed Bread Stuffing and Wild Mushroom Gravy
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Makes 16 servings

Tofu turkey is one of those dishes you look forward to all year long.
The perfect surprise for holiday celebrations, leftovers taste just
as fantastic as when the "bird" is fresh out of the oven.

Note: Recipe may be cut in half. Use a 9-inch colander. Cut baking
time to 1 1/2 hours (45 minutes each covered and uncovered). These
smaller tofu turkeys won't crack on the top as will the big ones.
However, cracking isn't a problem as a slice is covered with the
delicious gravy.

Tofu Turkey
-----------------------
5 pounds organic tofu, fresh, medium to firm

Homemade Stuffing Seasoning
--------------------------------------------
Makes 1/2 cup
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

Herbed Bread Stuffing
---------------------------------
Makes 5 cups
Note: some commercial stuffings contain bleached and bromated flour,
MSG, and preservatives.

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

Basting Liquid
-------------------------
1/2 cup light vegetable oil
1/3 cup natural organic soy sauce

Wild Mushroom Gravy
-----------------------------------
Makes 7 to 8 cups
The nicest mushrooms for this gravy are a combination of chanterelle,
shiitake, hedgehog or crimini and regular mushrooms. Portabella
mushrooms impart too dark a hue to be attractive.

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)

Garnish
-----------------
Large sprigs parsley and/or fresh sage

1. To prepare tofu, mash it well. Line an 11-inch colander with a
single layer of moistened cheesecloth and transfer tofu to colander.
Press down tofu to make flat and fold edges of cheesecloth over tofu
to smooth them. If tofu is medium textured, place a cake tin or
another flat object of a similar size over the surface of the tofu
and weigh it down with a heavy object (about 5 pounds) to press
liquid from tofu for 1 hour. Omit this step if using firm tofu.

2. To prepare Homemade Stuffing Seasoning, simply mix ingredients
well.

3. To prepare stuffing, heat oil in a skillet and sauté vegetables.
Sprinkle seasonings, including salt and soy sauce, over vegetables.
Stir, cover, and continue to cook until vegetables are done, about
5 minutes. 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. (The space between the tip of your finger and the first
joint usually serves as a built-in 1-inch measuring stick. Press
finger into tofu to measure, then patch up the holes.) 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, in a large pot heat oil and sauté onions and
mushrooms. 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.

[livetohike]

1. Sounds delicious! Just reading the recipe for the mushroom

gravy, I probably wouldn't use the full 1/2 c.of soy sauce though. Thanks for posting this :hi:.