Shepherd's Pie

From: kupstas@weiss.cs.unc.edu (Eileen Kupstas)
From _Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant_, the Moosewood Collective, 1990;

Tofu layer
_________

1 cake tofu, frozen, thawed and shredded
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbls. vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. ground coriander seeds
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
juice of 1 lemon (about 1 tbls.)
1-2 tbls. tamari soy sauce (to taste)

Potato layer
____________
4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 tbls. butter or margarine
1/2 cup milk
salt to taste

Mushroom gravy
_____________

2tbls. vegetable oil
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
3 tbls. tamari soy sauce
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups hot potato water (from above)
2 tbls. cornstarch dissolve in 1/2 cup water.

Procedure :
(do all this concurrently to save time)

For tofu layer, saute chopped onions in oil with thyme, coriander,
and black pepper until onions are translucent. Stir in the chopped walnuts
and shredded tofu. When heated through, stir in lemon juice and soy
sauce. Remove from heat.

To make mashed potatoes, place cubed potatoes in saucepan and cover with 
lightly salted water. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until potatoes
are soft. Drain, saving hot potato water to use in the gravy. Mash the
potatoes with butter and milk. Salt to taste. 

For the gravy, heat the oil in a skillet. Stir in the mushrooms, soy
sauce, and black pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the
mushrooms are tender. Add 1 1/2 cups potato water and bring to a 
boil. Slowly stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook at a low 
boil, continuing to stir, until the gravy is clear and thick.

Oil a 9-inch square casserole dish [maybe bigger; mine boiled 
over - ek] or use a 10-inch round cast-iron skillet. Layer the 
tofu mixture, then the mushroom gravy, and then the mashed
potatoes. Dot the top with butter or margarine. Bake at 400
for 15-20 minutes, until the top becomes golden.

[this reheats very well, if you don't have four HUNGRY people
to eat it - ek]

Variation: For the non-dairy diet, just substitute margarine for
butter and use some of the water left over from boiling the 
potatoes in place of the milk [or use soymilk, a bit less than
of cow's milk -ek] when mashing the potatoes.