220gvegan margarine/butteras cold as possible, no cup measurement for this; it’s difficult to measure cold margarine by the cup!
14tablespoonswaterthis may vary depending on how firm/soft the margarine is and also maybe on room temperature
For the Filling -
The Mushrooms:
4portobello mushrooms[about 250 g]
1teaspoonminced garlic
1tablespoonmargarine
Salt to taste
The Tofu:
375gfirm tofu[1½ block]
½teaspoonChinese 5 spice
½teaspoonturmeric
2-3tablespoonssoy sauce
½teaspooncayenne pepper
Salt to taste
3tablespoonsvegetable oilfor shallow frying
The Green Stuff:
150gwatercressspinach and rocket
190gfirm tofu[3/4 block]
¼teaspooncayenne pepper
½teaspoonsalt
The Tofu Puree:
190gfirm tofu[3/4 block]
100mlsoy milk
½smallonionor 1 shallot, chopped
¼teaspoonsalt
Instructions
For the Shortcrust Pastry -
Cut margarine into small pieces.
In a big bowl add flour and margarine pieces.
Cut through margarine pieces in the flour to make them smaller while mixing with the flour.
Rub in the margarine into the flour using the tip of the fingers to make the lumps of margarine as small as possible. Try not to overwork the dough.
Lift the flour while rubbing in (to incorporate air into the mixture) until it resembles fine bread crumbs.
Start mixing with a hand mixer (with spiral hook) while adding a few tablespoons of water.
Check to see if dough is holding together and soft (but not sticky).
Test by pressing with the hands. Knead only 2-3 times.
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours to overnight. (Can also be frozen for later use).
I found this video (provided in the challenge post) very helpful: Making shortcrust pastry
For the Filling -
The mushrooms:
Heat margarine in a non-stick pan. Add garlic and mushrooms. Add salt.
Sautee until mushrooms are soft. Remove from heat. Set aside.
There will be quite some liquid coming out. Either discard the liquid (or use as part of the marinade for the tofu).
The Tofu:
Cut tofu into large slices (to fit in the width of the tin).
Mix all the remaining ingredients (except oil) together in a bowl.
Dip each piece of tofu in the marinade. (Or you can leave them to marinade for a little while if you like).
Shallow fry in the oil until golden and slightly crispy.
The Green Stuff:
Mix all ingredients in a blender. (I used a hand blender and it was fine). Set aside.
The Tofu Puree:
Mix all ingredients in a blender. Set aside.
Rolling and Arranging -
Separate the dough into two, one-quarter and three-quarter.
Roll the bigger dough out the size of the baking tin (accounting for the sides, of course, and little surplus.
Roll out the smaller dough for the top.
Preheat oven at 180 degrees Celsius.
Line the tin with some greaseproof paper. (This makes removal easier).
Place the dough inside the tin. Shape the corners by pressing lightly with a little ball of dough.
Top with a layer of pureed tofu. Then add a layer of tofu.
And another layer of puree, a layer of mushrooms, then the tofu puree again.
Finally pour in the green puree.
Cover with dough. Close the edges properly.
Make 3 clean cuts through the dough (to allow steam to escape).
Add dough decorations like flowers & leaves, other shapes and braid if desired. See recipe notes.
Bake for 1 hour. Pastry should be golden and dry. Check by inserting a skewer in the middle. It won’t be super dry because of the moist ingredients inside but it should be fairly clean.
Allow to cool for a while then remove from tin by pulling the greaseproof paper and lifting. Slice using a serrated knife (preferably) and serve warm.
Notes
The Flower Decoration (optional):The flowers I placed on top were coloured using beetroot juice (because food colour usually freaks me out! So, I try to avoid them). Instead of using water, I used beetroot juice to form the flour mixture into dough. But you only need a little bit of the flour mixture and a tablespoon or so of the beetroot juice.I just cut out small circles that I arranged into flowers.The Braid (optional):I braided leftover dough pieces and placed them around the edges of the loaf.Shortcrust Pastry:Check out how I make shortcrust pastry in this video. Alternatively for shortcrust pastry using oil instead of butter/margarine, see this post for a flaky oil-based shortcrust pastry. (You'll need to multiply the recipe by 1.5 times to have enough for this crust).Link to original post - Tofu en Croute - https://veganlovlie.com/daring-cooks-challenge-december-2009