Roast Turkey

It's just not the holidays without the smell of roasting turkey pervading the air. It's no different for the students at Hogwarts:

"Harry had never in all his life had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mounains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce-- and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table" 

(Sorcerer's Stone 203).

Most vegetarians (myself included) opt for a store-bought tofurkey for their holiday feast. There are several excellent brands out there, available at most health food stores and well-stocked supermarkets. My usual choice is Tofurkey, but Quorn and VeganStore (which I've never tried) also have "roast turkey" options.

But today, I have discovered a recipe at A Veg*n For Dinner for homemade "turkey." So today we'll give it a try!

You Will Need:

5 oz silken tofu

1cup water

1tsp salt

3/4tsp black pepper

1.5 bsp Vegan Chicken Boulion

Scant 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (which I couldn't find, so I didn't use it)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion salt (or onion powder, which is what I used)

1/2 tsp thyme

pinch celery seed

1/3cup soy flour

1.5 cups gluten flour/vital wheat gluten

1 Tbs rolled oats

For the broth, You Will Need:

1 cup water

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp glaric powder

1/4 tsp onion salt/powder

1/4 tsp poultry seasoning

1/4 tp thyme

1-2 Tbs Vegan Chicken Boullion

1. Combine the last 3 ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

2. Combine the rest of the ingredients (tofu through celery seed in the list above) in a blender or food processor and combine.

3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together. Knead together into a firm ball. Keep some extra gluten flour on hand in case the dough is too sticky (mine wasn't). Let the ball sit for 1 hour.

4a. At this point, if you'd like, you should prepare a lovely stuffing, roll out your dough, and wrap it around the stuffing for a more traditional turkey roast. However, I didn't think ahead about making stuffing... so my "bird" will be unstuffed. 

4b. If you have no stuffing, knead the dough for 1 more minute and form into a ball again. A Veg*n for Dinner recommends cooking your "turkey" in a juice can. I didn't have one (and I can't imagine how a juice can could accommodate the dough expansion!), so I wrapped my dough up tight in cheesecloth and placed it in a small dutch oven. Mix your broth ingredients together and pour your broth over the dough.

5. Cover your chosen cooking receptacle (with foil if you're using a juice can) and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the "turkey" in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 250 degrees. Cook for 3 hours.

6. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool enough for you to handle. Remove from the can/cheesecloth, slice, and serve.

While I do prefer my store-bought Tofurkey, this is pretty tasty! I definitely recommend using poultry seasoning if you have it. Pair with some gravy and mashed potatoes and enjoy!