Mushroom Tempeh

Tempeh aux Champignons En Crou^te

Ode to Rhizopus oligosporus

Noble tempeh,
lately maligned.
I think you're grand,
and unrefined!
No, its not meat
you try to be.
You're for cultured
company.
serves four

8 oz. tempeh, any variety
4 Cups dark vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
4 black peppercorns
1 med. yellow onion
2 lbs mushrooms, a mix of buttons (or field) and
portobello
1/4 tsp celery seed
3 Cups dark vegetable stock
6 Tbsp unbleached white flour
6 garlic cloves, roasted
3 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes, minced
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 Cup dry sherry
salt and freshly cracked pepper to season
1/2 lb oblong (or rectangular) loaf of wholemeal bread,
unsliced

The Crou^tes:
Heat oven to 450 degrees, F. Cut bread into four equal
slices. Cut (or pinch) out a well in the center of each slice.
Press the bread down on the sides and bottom to make an
open-topped case with sides 1/2 - 1/4 inch thick. Place the
crou^tes on a baking sheet and toast lightly, for 5-10 minutes.
Either fill and serve immediately or set aside and reheat at 350
degrees F for several minutes before serving.

Tempeh aux Champignons
In a 3 quart saucepan, bring 4 Cups vegetable stock, bay
leaf, and peppercorns to a rolling boil. Add the tempeh, whole,
right from the freezer, to the stock. Reduce heat and simmer,
turning occasionally, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and
set aside, covered.
While the tempeh is simmering, slice the onion into thin
rings. To soften, put the sun dried tomatoes in a small bowl
and pour over them enough boiling water to cover. Mince the
rosemary and using a knife, coarsely puree the roasted garlic.
Braise/deglaze (instructions follow) the onions in a medium
sized (or large) non-stick skillet, using the tempeh cooking
liquid as needed. While the onions are cooking, wash and trim
the mushrooms. Cut large buttons in halves or quarters and
portobellos into 1/2 inch thick strips.
Put a large non-stick skillet on medium heat. Toast the
flour in the skillet, stirring constantly, until it begins to smell
toasted and turns the slightest shade darker. Pour the flour
into a small bowl to cool. Warm 2 1/2 of the 3 cups of
vegetable stock in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat until it
begins to steam. Mix the toasted flour with the remaining 1/2
Cup of stock and whisk it into the stock in the saucepan. Cook
over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce
begins to thicken. Reduce heat to very low and add the
rosemary, garlic, tomatoes, and onions. Continue to cook the
sauce while making the remaining preparations.
Heat the large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
Put the mushrooms in the pan and cover. Let them cook,
undisturbed, until steam makes the lid dance (if its a light-
weight lid), about 8 minutes. The mushrooms will release a lot
of moisture. Add celery seed and 1/4 Cup sherry, reduce heat
to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid
evaporates. Deglaze the pan with a bit of the tempeh cooking
liquid.
Remove the tempeh from its cooking liquid and cut it
into 1/2 inch dice. Season the brown sauce with salt and pepper
(at least 1/2 tsp of pepper). Pour the mushrooms into the sauce,
stir in the diced tempeh and finish the sauce with the remaining
1/4 cup sherry.
Place a warm crou^te in the center of each serving plate
and fill with 1/4 of the Tempeh aux Champignons. Serve
immediately.

Notes: This would be nice preceded by a light winter vegetable
soup, maybe cubes of baked winter squash in an onion broth,
and followed by a spinach, radichio, and pear or apple salad
dressed with raspberry vinegar. You could prepare the sauce
and let it rest, covered, over very low heat, and warm the oven
for the crou^tes, while the soup is served. After the soup, briefly
toast the crou^tes, and serve.


Braise/deglazed Onions: Heat a non-stick skillet over medium
flame. Separate thinly sliced onion rings and put them in the
pan. Let the onions cook, undisturbed, until they just
begin to brown and stick. Add 1 Tbsp water or vegetable stock
to the pan and stir to dissolve browned bits. Continue to cook
until onions again brown and stick. Deglaze with another Tbsp
of water or stock. Repeat this procedure until the onions are
richly browned. This will take 15 or 20 minutes.