Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook (60 page)

Brush the top with a little more olive oil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the phyllo is puffed and golden. Cool for 10 minutes before serving and cut the pieces with a very sharp, thin, serrated knife.

TEMPEH SHEPHERDESS PIE

SERVES 8
TIME:
1 HOUR 20 MINUTES

As we were developing this recipe we found ourselves pondering some deep questions. Sheep herding is not vegan by definition, so why does every vegan cookbook have a vegan shepherd’s pie? And do vegan shepherdesses dream of electric sheep? Our answer to these riddles is the winning combo of tempeh, peas, and corn, in a zesty mushroom gravy instead of a tomato-based one, because we prefer to dream that way.

➣
For a fun and colorful variation, use mashed sweet potatoes, instead of regular mashed potatoes, as the topping.

Tempeh layer:

2 (8-ounce) packages tempeh
⅓ cup tamari or soy sauce
2 cups water
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large onion, cut into ½ inch dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
2 cups vegetable broth
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley, plus a little extra
for garnish

Potato layer:

3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into
1-inch chunks
⅓ cup plain soy milk (preferably
unsweetened), warmed or at room temperature
¼ cup grapeseed oil
¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper

IN A large skillet, crumble the tempeh into small, bite-size pieces. Add the water, tamari, and 1 teaspoon of oil. Cover and let boil for about 10 minutes. Start boiling the potatoes in the meantime (directions below).

Remove the lid from tempeh and continue to boil until most of the water has evaporated, about 5 more minutes. Drain the tempeh in a colander and return the pan to the stove top over medium-high heat (you don’t need to wash it).

Sauté the onions in the remaining olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 more minute. Stir in the tempeh, along with the sliced mushrooms and the spices. Cook for about 10 more minutes over medium heat until the mushrooms are juicy and the tempeh is slightly browned. While this cooks, your potatoes should be ready for mashing and you can go ahead and preheat the oven to 375°F.

Add the corn and peas, and cook until heated through. You may need to add a little extra oil here; if you have a spray bottle of it, you should use it.

Mix together the vegetable broth and the flour until pretty much dissolved (a few lumps is okay). Add to the tempeh, along with the parsley, and stir. Let thicken for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. It will thicken more as it bakes.

Prepare the potatoes:

Place the potatoes in a soup pot and cover with water (the water should be about 1 inch above the potatoes). Cover and bring to a boil. Let boil for 20 minutes, or until they easily cut with a fork. Drain and return to the pot. Use a potato masher to mash them up a bit, then add the soy milk, oil salt, and pepper. Mash very well, until creamy. Cover to keep warm until ready to use.

Assemble the pie:

Place the tempeh filling in a 9 × 13-inch casserole dish. Spoon the potatoes over the filling (although, truth be told, we use our hands for this because it’s just easier).

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes; the potatoes should be slightly browned on top. If they are not, place under a broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oven, garnish with chopped parsley, use a spatula to cut into eight squares, and serve.

ONE-POT MEALS AND STOVE-TOP SPECIALTIES

T
HIS CHAPTER IS very much a two-part biopic—“a tale of two recipes,” one might say—but even better because you won’t be tested on any of the material. It centers on the secret lives of food that’s cooked on top of the stove. Some meals use but one pot, some use a few more. Both make the tummy feel full of joy and, well, fullness.

Part I. We like the sound of “One-Pot Meals.” It makes us feel like we’re hanging out in a
Little House on the Prairie
remake, chopping wood, building barns, sewing quilts, and at the end of the day getting ready for a big dinner scooped out of a big, cast-iron pot.

“And what do those city girls know about cast-iron pots?” you ask? Enough that somehow stews and casseroles just taste better cooked in them. Good one-pots also include enameled cookware and stoneware, which are pricey but worth trading a few blankets for. We’ll often recommend starting a recipe on top of the stove, then moving it to the oven to finish cooking. We’re not being fickle, it’s just the best way to give dumpling biscuits the perfect toasted top or to ensure that a steaming vat of jambalaya rice cooks up tender instead of burned. But if you haven’t traveled down to the general store yet for a stove-to-table pot, fear not. You can just as easily transfer the recipe from a pot on the stove and into an oven-safe dish to complete the cooking process.

Part II. Let us turn to our attention for a moment to “Stove-Top Specialties,” shall we? This is just a catch-all name for meals that require you to use those pots (and pans) you thought might never see some action (we’re looking at you, Mister or Miss Ramen-Noodle). If you’re scared you’ll have to pull out all the stops like some kind of TV chef, be assured we’ll keep your budding career in check—these recipes simply require just an extra sauté pan or small saucepan. As you’ll see, stove-top meals include flavorful and thrilling sautés of vegetables, seitan, and tofu. Normal people (read: not the authors of the
Veganomicon
) would probably call these dishes “entrées.”

SEITANIC RED AND WHITE BEAN JAMBALAYA

SERVES 6

TIME:
1 HOUR 25 TO 35 MINUTES, DEPENDING ON THE RICE

Warning: Just a taste of this luscious, tomato-laced concoction of rice, vegetables, and seitan, and you just might feel like shouting at the devil. But please, don’t do it with huge, teased metal-band hair or while wearing skin-tight black pleather pants, lest you scare the kids. Perfectly sinful for hardcore meat-eaters and vegans alike, seitanic jambalaya is a favorite at parties, potlucks, or wherever a
hungry, Cajun-spice lovin’ crowd may be. Serve with French bread rolls, Sautéed Collards (page 106), and your favorite Louisiana-style hot sauce.

➣
If using fresh thyme, just poke the sprigs into the rice before baking. The leaves will fall off the stems while it’s cooking. Just remove the stems before serving.

➣
Have a favorite Cajun-style seasoning mix? Use three or more teaspoons in place of the dried herbs and spices, but still add the fresh thyme.

IF you haven’t used the technique of deglazing (page 19) yet, here is the place to give it a shot. If bits of seitan stick to the bottom of the pot and start to burn while you’re sautéing, deglaze the pot with a few tablespoons of cooking sherry. Then remove the seitan from the pot and continue as directed. The browned bits add lots of flavor, while the deglazing prevents them from sticking around and burning when cooking the vegetables.

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 recipe Simple Seitan (page 131), or 16 ounces
store-bought seitan, diced or pulled apart into
bite-size pieces
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into ½-inch dice
1 large yellow onion, cut into ½-inch dice
2 stalks celery, cut into small dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup cooking sherry or vegetable broth
2 cups long-grain rice, brown or white
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can white kidney (cannellini) beans
1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans
1 bay leaf
4-6 sprigs fresh thyme (optional but really great here)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried paprika
½ teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
4 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt
Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
Chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

PREHEAT THE oven to 375°F.

Preheat a large (the biggest you have) oven-to-table Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-heat. Sauté the seitan in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for 4 to 6 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the pot and set aside. Add the remaining olive oil to the pot, then stir in the onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic. Sauté for 12 to 14 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft and a tad mushy. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, for another 4 minutes.

Stir in the cooking sherry to deglaze the vegetables, cook for 30 seconds, then add the rice. Stir the rice for about 4 minutes, then stir in the diced tomatoes, seitan, beans, bay leaf, all of the herbs, and the salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, pour in the vegetable broth, and return to a simmer. Taste the broth and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

If using a Dutch oven, cover and place in oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the rice is tender. If using a pot, transfer to a deep casserole dish, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. If using brown rice, increase the baking time to 40 to 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven, stir the jambalaya, then cover and allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.

MANZANA CHILI VERDE

SERVES 4 TO 6

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