Let's just say it -- vegetarians get screwed on Thanksgiving. Frankly, on a holiday nicknamed "turkey day", you've got a problem if you're not into tucking into a golden roasted bird.
But fret not ye gentle of soul and spirit -- Clean Plate Charlie has discovered something so awesome your carnivore friends will quake in envy of the immense majesty of the:
Veggieducken!!!
The Vggieducken or the Squashleekotato Roast, is a vegetarian take on the mythical and rare Turducken. It's a sweet potato inside leeks inside a squash -- with lots of delicious stuffing around every layer.
True, it's labor intensive. But this, dear sweet gentle friends of animals everywhere, is a labor of love. Plus, the Veggieducken has magical powers designed to bring even meat eaters to their knees with its sheer coolness.
Watch this Cooking Channel video on how to assemble the Veggieducken (and find the complete recipe below). This is a good day for vegans, vegetarians (and turkeys), indeed.
Veggieducken (Squashleekotato Roast)
Serves 12
Ingredients
6 cloves garlic
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
3 red bell pepper, stems and seeds removed, roughly chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley, loosely packed
1 cup fresh sage, loosely packed
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
4 cups breadcrumbs
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 yam, peeled and ends cut off to make it 6-inches long
3 medium leeks, rinsed and halved lengthwise
1 banana squash, about 1-foot long
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Pulse the garlic and onions in a food processor 6 to 8 times.
- Push everything down from the sides of work bowl using a rubber spatula and pulse 6 to 8 more times. Scrape into a large bowl and set aside.
- Pulse the bell pepper in the food processor until finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add to the bowl with the onion mixture.
- Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion mixture (including any liquid in the bottom of the bowl) and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Add the parsley, sage and thyme to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl. (Can use the same large bowl as before, no cleaning necessary.)
- Add the breadcrumbs, broth, onion mixture, salt, black pepper and remaining olive oil, stirring to combine.
- Wrap the yam in several layers of damp paper towel and microwave on high for 2 minutes.
- Let set until cool enough to handle.
- Trim the ends from the squash, and then then slice in half lengthwise.
- Scoop out seeds and any loose fibers using a large metal spoon.
- Make a stable bottom by slicing about 1/2 inch from one of the halves.
- Press about 2 cups of the onion stuffing into the cavity of the bottom squash, making a hollow space in the center.
- Line the hollow with 3 leek halves, cut-side up, pressing firmly into the stuffing.
- Cover the leeks with a thin layer of stuffing, pressing to create a hollow for the yam.
- Lay the yam into the hollow and cover with a thin layer of stuffing.
- Arrange the remaining leeks, cut-side down, over the stuffing.
- Cover the leeks with another layer of stuffing, pressing into a mound about the size to fit into the remaining squash cavity.
- Cover the stuffing with the remaining squash half, pressing firmly to set in place.
- Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour, covering loosely with foil if it browns too quickly. It's done when a wooden skewer slides easily into the center.
- Let sit for 10 minutes before transferring to a cutting board.
- Cut into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cut each slice in half into a semicircle and serve.
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