Carol L. Cain
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.