Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook Part 94

This dish freezes well. Store leftovers in a covered plastic container and freeze. When ready to eat, preheat the oven to 350F, transfer the leftovers to a baking pan, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for about 30 minutes.

BRING A large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to the package directions, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare your Cheezy Sauce.

Preheat the oven to 325F. When the pasta is ready, drain and set aside. When sauce is ready, begin a.s.sembling.

To a.s.semble: Crumble the tofu into an 11 13-inch gla.s.s or ceramic baking dish. Mash the tofu with your hands until it resembles ricotta cheese. Add the salt, olive oil, and lemon juice, then stir.

Add cup Cheezy Sauce to the tofu and stir. Use a dry measuring cup with a handle so that you can just dip it in to the sauce and pour-you don't need to be very precise. Add the macaroni to the tofu, along with 3 more cups of sauce, and stir well.

Smooth the top of the pasta mixture and press it down with a spatula to level it. Then pour the remaining sauce over the pasta and smooth again.

Bake for 30 minutes; the top of the macaroni should be slightly browned. It's a good idea to wait about 20 minutes before serving, so that it can cool down and firm up a bit, but if you can't wait, more power to you.

Variations: Mac and Peas: Add 2 cups of frozen peas when you add the macaroni to the ca.s.serole.

Broc Mac Daddy: Add 3 cups of small broccoli florets when you add the macaroni.

Autumn Mac Daddy: Add 3 cups of roasted or boiled b.u.t.ternut squash when you add the macaroni. Omit the thyme from the nutritional yeasty sauce and add 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg.

Spicy Mac Daddy: Add teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the nutritional yeasty sauce when you add the black pepper.

Mac and Greens: Add 4 cups of finely chopped kale, spinach, or chard when you add the macaroni.

Mac and Chicks: Instead of tofu, use 2 cups of mashed chickpeas.

LASAGNE MARINARA WITH SPINACH.

SERVES 6 TO 8.

(Tofu Ricotta variation) TIME: 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES.

Lasagne is a great way to showcase how delicious vegan cooking can be. Our version brings together a variety of recipes in this book to create everyone's favorite baked pasta dish. It's endlessly versatile, depending on what flavor you feel like making the Marinara Sauce (page 205), what fresh vegetables are found at the market that day, which Tofu Ricotta (page 206) is used, and whether the luscious Pine Nut Cream (page 164) is featured on top. Lasagne can be served alone or with a hearty sprinkling of Almesan (page 207), breadsticks, and a crisp green salad.

If you have a favorite way of a.s.sembling lasagne, then go right ahead and use that instead of our method. We've included directions for the traditional boiled noodle and the "controversial" no-cook pasta method. Both methods work great here.

Double recipe Marinara Sauce (page 205), plain or any variation (roasted garlic is particularly good here)

Double recipe Tofu Ricotta or Cashew Ricotta (page 206)

1-pound package lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions or left uncooked

2 pounds spinach or a mix of spinach and other greens (chard, dandelion, etc.)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 recipe Almesan (page 207)

1 recipe Pine Nut Cream (optional)

PREHEAT THE oven to 375F degrees. Have ready a 9 13-inch deep lasagne pan and a double layer of aluminum foil that can tightly cover the pan. Also have ready the prepared Marinara Sauce and Tofu Ricotta.

Wash the spinach well, drain, and place in a steamer basket in a large pot. Cover and steam for 8 to 10 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and a deep green. Uncover and remove from the heat, allowing the spinach to cool to the touch. Squeeze handfuls of the spinach to remove the excess water and chop coa.r.s.ely. Toss with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Ladle about cup of sauce into the bottom of the lasagne pan and layer with 5 to 6 noodles, either precooked or raw. Add about half of the tofu ricotta, a layer of spinach, and about one-third of the sauce. Add another layer of noodles (4 to 5), the rest of the ricotta, the remainder of the spinach, and another third of the sauce. Top with the remaining noodles, then top the noodles with remaining sauce. Or, if you wish, you can combine the spinach with the ricotta before layering.

If using uncooked noodles, gently pour 1 cup of warm water over the top of the a.s.sembled ca.s.serole, being careful to pour into the gaps between noodles and the edges of the pan as well. Skip this step if using cooked noodles.

The recipe calls for a double batch of Marinara Sauce, which makes an evenly moist but not overly saucy ca.s.serole. For deliciously saucy lasagne, triple the sauce and reserve one-third for ladling over individual servings.

You can prepare the noodles either by the traditional "boiling first" method or by layering the uncooked noodles into the ca.s.serole and pouring a scant 1 cup of water over the entire a.s.sembled ca.s.serole before baking. The precooking method is more work but results in a "neater" layered lasagne. The uncooked method is very easy and less messy but the noodles tend to curl up a bit during the baking, which doesn't matter much if additional sauce will be poured on top of individual servings.

If you wish, you may generously sprinkle Almesan on top of the lasagne before baking.

Tightly crimp two overlapping layers of foil over the top of the pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the pasta is tender, then remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes, until edges of noodles are slightly browned and sauce is bubbling. Allow to cool 10 minutes before slicing. Best if served with additional marinara sauce.

Variation: Mushroom-Spinach Lasagne: In addition to the spinach layers, add 1 pound of white b.u.t.ton or cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly and sauteed in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook until all of the water has evaporated and the mushrooms are browned and tender.

White and Red Lasagne: After removing the foil for the final baking step, top the lasagne with Pine Nut Cream. Bake for an additional 20 to 24 minutes, until the topping is lightly browned and cracked.

ASPARAGUS AND LEMONGRa.s.s RISOTTO.

SERVES 4 TO 6.

TIME: 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES.

Find your purpose in life with this unusual risotto. You begin by pondering your existence while stirring aromatic vegetables in Arborio rice. Then you gradually add a steaming broth scented with lemongra.s.s and ginger. After stirring for a few years, you'll someday have this luscious, creamy asparagus risotto with a decidedly Thai twist. It's delightful served garnished with chopped roasted peanuts and a twist of lime, or serve alongside grilled Tangerine Baked Tofu (page 126) for a complete meal. Existential crisis over.

Lemongra.s.s broth: 3 cloves garlic, whole and unpeeled

1-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced into -inch slices

1 small stalk lemongra.s.s, or 1 tablespoon dried, chopped lemongra.s.s

Fresh lemongra.s.s is available in well-stocked gourmet-type grocery stores or at Asian markets. If you can't find it, look for dried, chopped lemongra.s.s in the spice aisle. When using dried lemongra.s.s here, you'll need to make a mini-bouquet garni by tucking the dried lemongra.s.s into a small, porous pouch along with the ginger and garlic, and knotting tightly on top. Long, empty tea bags sold for use with loose-leaf tea are ideal for this. You can also use cheesecloth and tie it into a little bundle, but double- or triple-layer it to make sure none of the lemongra.s.s bits leak into the stock (just give the bundle a good squeeze before discarding).

3 cups vegetable broth

3 cups water

3 tablespoons soy sauce

Risotto: cup cooking sherry

1 pound asparagus

5 tablespoons peanut oil

1 cup basil leaves (Thai preferred), rolled and sliced into very thin strips

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint