Southern Tofu Pot Pie

Today I wanted to make a casserole, but I also wanted to avoid a trip to the supermarket at all costs. The result is this charming and tasty pot pie, full of hominy and smoky marinated tofu, topped with that beacon of Southern hospitality: buttermilk biscuits.

This recipe is vegan and so so delicious that Matt and I kept calling to each other across the house. "ARE YOU TASTING THIS? IT IS SO GOOD." "YES, THIS IS REALLY REALLY GOOD."



Southern Tofu Pot Pie

There are three parts to this recipe - the marinated tofu, the stew and the biscuits. If you have a stand-by biscuit recipe feel free to sub it in.

Ingredients
for the tofu
1 package of firm or extra-firm tofu
1/4 cup veggie broth
1.5 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs nutritional yeast
fresh ground pepper
a few droplets of liquid smoke

for the stew
1 Tbs olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots
1 can hominy, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen peas
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups of veggie broth
2 Tbs cornstarch
1 Tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
fresh ground pepper

for the biscuits
2/3 cup soymilk
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups self-raising flour
1/3 cup vegetable shortening

Marinating the Tofu
Rinse and press the tofu, and cut it into 1/2 inch cubes. Mix the remaining ingredients in a tupperware and throw in the tofu. Let it sit for at least an hour, shaking occasionally to make sure everybody is getting soaked equally.

Making the Stew
Get out your trusty cast iron pan and heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and sauté until they are softened and just turning brown. Add the garlic, hominy and peas and sauté one minute more. Add the tofu and any leftover marinade. At this point take a moment to dissolve 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into 2 cups of cold or room-temperature vegetable broth. When the cornstarch is dissolved completely, begin adding the broth to the vegetables in the cast iron pan. You want to add just enough broth to cover the veggies. I ended up using about 1.5 cups; you might need more or less. Add the soy sauce and spices and taste to correct. Continue to cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer the mixture for 7 minutes or so, stirring occasionally as the stew thickens. Cut the heat and get ready to make some biscuits!

Making the Biscuits
Measure out the soymilk and add the apple cider vinegar and baking soda to measuring cup. Mix well and set aside for five minutes so the milk can curdle. In a large bowl measure out the self-raising flour (Must be self-raising! No substitutions!) Cut the vegetable shortening into the flour with two butter knives or a pastry cutter. Pour in the soymilk and stir until everything is just mixed. Pull out the dough and knead it 4-5 times. With your lil' paws roll the dough into golfball-sized balls, flatten slightly, and place on top of the stew about 1" apart from one another.

Bake the assembled pot pie at 425º for 15 minutes. It's ready to go when the biscuits sound hollow when tapped. Serve with gigantic glasses of soymilk and eat while making omnomnomnomnom noises.