Vegan Stroganoff [V] [GF]

Holiday gatherings can be a time of fruitful culinary experimentation, especially if you're planning on serving a meal to a group of people with a wide variety of dietary habits.  Traditional dishes that one might have a yen to serve at such gatherings (especially European ones) often require a bit of tweaking in order to be acceptable to all parties, while they must faithfully mimic the traditional textures and flavors the purists amongst your dinner guests have come to expect.  Thus, this evening, necessity became the mother of vegan stroganoff.  The recipe provided below is an attempt to reconstruct a passable replica of beef stroganoff without the beef, without true sour cream, and without animal products of any sort.  In it, mushrooms create the savory flavor, silken tofu takes the place of sour cream, and soy sauce provides the critical brown-gravy coloration.

In the recipe below, Earth Balance was the vegan butter substitute I used, while the poultry seasoning mix was a Schilling-brand mixture whose primary two ingredients were thyme and sage.  This sauce can be served over noodles (made either of wheat or, if one is of the gluten-free persuasion, rice), as beef stroganoff typically is, or over rice.  Really, just about any complex carbohydrate could serve as a vehicle for this stuff in a pinch — even tortilla chips, if you're desparate.  As you can see from the photo, I served it with baked asparagus spears (graced by a touch of pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil) and the unused riesling.  No one complained.  

• 22 oz. silken tofu, extra firm
• 2 lemons
• 1½ Tbsp. vegan butter substitute
• 16 oz. mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• ½ cup dry riesling
• ¼ cup frozen peas
• ¼ cup diced celery
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 2 tsp. gluten-free soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. dry basil
• ¼ tsp. dry rosemary leaves
• ¼ tsp. poultry seasoning
• 3 tsp. salt, or to taste

Begin by melting the butter substitute in a large frying pan and sautéeing the mushrooms until they're brown and moderately soft.  While the mushrooms are browning, combine the silken tofu, the juice of the lemons, and 1 tsp. of the salt in a food processor and process until the mixture is well-blended.  Set this mixture aside.  Add the salt, pepper, herbs, and celery to the frying mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the celery is soft.  Add the wine and simmer on medium heat until much of the liquid has evaporated.  Stir in the corn starch so that it doesn't clump and continue to simmer until the liquid in the pan has a gravy-like consistency, then add the peas and continue to simmer for a few more minutes.  Reduce to low heat and add the tofu mixture from the food processor to the frying pan, stirring it thoroughly into the mushrooms, etc. already present in the pan.  After roughly 5 minutes, when the mixture is hot, stir the soy sauce into the mixture in the frying pan.  Salt to taste and serve over rice noodles.