Vegan Turkey, Tarragon & Mascarpone Lasagna

There's something about being "stuck" in the Valley that's opening my creative doors. True, I also feel like I should run out, bleach my hair, get a nice set of fake tits and some microdermabrasion, but that's just an urge I'll have to resist. 

Newly reawakened creative streak aside, I quickly realized this isn't the place I'm meant to live. I've been here just a few weeks, and I'm already grieving the city. I miss waking up to the smell of debatable, unpleasant aromas and my old neighbor's burned french toast. I miss being able to walk to Whole Foods and 7-Eleven. I miss my Gayborhood, and I'm contractually stuck here for a year. 

Just to placate my longing for my old life, I stopped by my old apartment last night and smoked some hash. No, I didn't break in. I helped my landlord find the new tenant, so it was only 65% awkward. It made me feel a little better. I guess this means I'll have to cook a shit load to take my mind elsewhere, or sharpen my contract negotiation skills. 

I'm comprising my second cookbook of recipes far less complex than the first. I'll let you in on a cheat code: The recipes in the first book aren't complex unless you want to make the components also available at a store. Several of the recipes have a lot of steps from start to finish. Making the seitan is what I fear will overwhelm readers the most, but it truly is so simple once you try it. 

Yes, I use a lot of ingredients in the broths. Deal with it. It's what makes my faux meats taste authentic. I just got sassy there for a minute. Sincerest apologies. 

What I like so much about this recipe is that, aside from making the seitan, it's really simple to throw together. Doing the prep in advance makes it even easier. One really great hack to know:

If you're too lazy to make the seitan, just go out and buy a pound of Vegan chicken breasts to use. The recipe will be (almost) as great. You can also use frozen broccoli (thawed and drained, of course) to skip the whole blanching step. Definitely try to locate the Dr. Cow cheese for making the sauce, though. One package of it grated over the lasagna with a Microplane zester will yield way more than you need for the recipe, so grate carefully.

Vegan Turkey, Tarragon & Mascarpone Lasagna

For the Lasagna...

• 2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 batch of Vegan Turkey, minced
• 1 batch of Vegan Mascarpone (recipe follows, or sub Vegan Ricotta/Cottage Cheese)
• 3 TBSP Fresh Tarragon, chopped
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 3/4 lb Broccoli Florets, broken into bite size pieces
• 1 lb No Bake Lasagna Noodles
• 2 cups Vegan Mozzarella, finely grated
• Olive Oil or Vegan Butter, for greasing baking dish

For the Sauce...

• 1/4 cup Vegan Margarine
• 2 TBSP Unbleached White Flour
• 2 1/2 cups Unflavored Non Dairy Milk
• 2/3 cup Dr Cows Tree Nut Cheese or Vegan Parmesan, finely grated
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then sauté the onion and garlic until softened but not browned. 

Add in the minced vegan turkey, turn the heat to high and sauté for about 5 minutes longer. 

Remove the pan from heat, then stir in the mascarpone and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Preheat your oven to 350 F. 

If using frozen broccoli, skip this next step:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then blanch the broccoli for 1 minute. Drain in a colander over the sink, then immediately rinse with cold water. Drain well and set aside. 

Resume here:

Once broccoli is cool to the touch (or thawed and drained), chop into smaller pieces.

In a medium saucepan, melt the vegan margarine over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from heat, then gradually whisk in the non-dairy milk. Return the pan to heat and bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for 1 minute, then whisk in the Dr Cow (Vegan Parmesan) Cheese. 

Season with salt & pepper to taste. 

To assemble the lasagna, grease a 9 x 13 baking dish, then spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom. Assemble the rest in the following order: 

 1) Layer of Noodles 

2) Layer of "Turkey" 

3) Layer of Broccoli 

4) Layer of Mascarpone 

5) Layer of Mozzarella

6) Layer of Sauce

Repeat the layers once to twice more, depending on how thick you make the layers. Just make sure you put an even layer of Sauce and Mozarella on top for cooking the no-bake Lasagna noodles. Finish with a sprinkle of fresh tarragon for garnish, if desired. 

Cover well with foil, and Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and carefully bake another 10-20 minutes depending on your oven's power and altitude. Don't let it out of your sight for too long once the foil is off.

Vegan Mascarpone

• 1 package Mori-Nu® Silken Soft Tofu
• 1/8 cup Vegan Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1/4th tsp Unbleached Sugar

A stand mixer with a whisk attachment is ideal for this, but a strong arm and a whisk will do the job as well. Combine ingredients in a stand mixer, and whisk together on the highest setting possible (the setting that doesn't leave you covered in tofu chunks), and mix until light and creamy. Chill until ready to use.

 

Vegan Turkey Recipe

Vegan Turkey Dough

• 1 cup Vital Wheat Gluten
• 1/3 cup No Chicken Broth
• 1/3 cup White Ale
• 1/3 cup Vegan Heavy Cream

For the Broth...

• 4 cups prepared Better Than Bouillon's No Chicken Broth
• 2 cups Low Sodium Vegetable Stock
• 1 cup of Dry White Wine (I used Chardonnay to mimic texture)
• 1/2 can of Light Ale
• 1 1/4 cup Vegan Heavy Cream
• 1 TBSP Lemon Juice
• 1/4 cup Mirin
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Yellow Mustard Powder
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 2 Stalk of Celery, sliced
• 1 TBSP Mellow White Miso Paste

Combine all of the broth ingredients EXCEPT the mellow white miso paste in a very large stock pot. Bring to a boil, then add the mellow white miso paste and stir until dissolved. Whisk together the liquids for the dough (No Chicken Broth, White Ale and Heavy Cream).

In a large mixing bowl, separately mix the dry ingredients with the vital wheat gluten, and knead until it’s completely mixed. 

Squeeze out any excess liquid.

Now is your time to shape the seitan dough before cooking it depending which recipe you're making.

You can shape into one large "loaf", flatten the dough into a circle use a paring knife or kitchen shears to cut into four pie wedge “Turkey Breast” shaped pieces, etc. 

Drop the shaped dough into the pot of boiling broth, reduce heat to medium-low (or low if you have a great stovetop) and cover the pot with a lid. 

Let the seitan simmer for about an hour, stirring gently every 10-15 minutes. 

Cooking time will depend on the size of your dough pieces. Use your gut to know when it's done. One large piece will take about an hour, smaller pieces take about 20-35 minutes as long as the broth head is reduced and covered once the dough is dropped in.  

When its done cooking, drain the Turkey Seitan well. Place the pieces (or piece) of seitan on top of a drying rack, then allow it to drain for a few hours to achieve a little of the "dry" element that real turkey has. Use as directed in any of my vegan turkey recipes, or substitute for real turkey in one of your favorites!