Vegan Pichelsteiner Stew

Pichelsteiner has its roots in Germany and is originally prepared with lots of meat. I still remember from my childhood that Pichelsteiner for me implied picking out the veggies and shoving the rest aside. Since I’m still flying on my new-discovery-high that frozen and then thawed tofu has a meat-like texture, which is common knowledge in Asia, I keep using it again and again. You can combine this feature with the fact that tofu takes on any taste you want and have the perfect meat substitute. I got to work in my kitchen lab, and the result was absolutely convincing. This time, I didn’t have to pick around the ‘meat’ and enjoyed every single bite.

You will need:

• …. to freeze your tofu ahead of time for a day or more and then let it thaw for a few hours

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb (450 g) pressed,super firm tofu, frozen for a day or more, thawed
• two 7 oz (200 g) packages young jackfruit pieces (I used Edward & Sons)
• 1 more Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion, quartered lengthwise, thickly sliced
• 5 large carrots, thickly sliced
• 4 large stalks celery, thickly sliced
• 1 large or 2 small leek(s), rough dark green ends and roots removed, halved lengthwise, thoroughly rinsed, thickly sliced
• 4 medium-size red potatoes, cut into bite-size chunks
• 2 medium-size tomatoes, diced
• 1 generous tsp caraway seeds
• 6 cups (1400 ml) vegetable broth (preferably made with homemade veggie broth concentrate)
• Celtic sea salt to taste, depending on saltiness of veggie broth
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• fresh, minced parsley galore

Preparation:

Rinse and cut vegetables. Make sure leek(s) are thoroughly cleaned and all the dirt between leaves is gone.

Press some more liquid out of the thawed tofu, and use a kitchen towel to pat it dry. Thickly slice it, then tear into bite-size pieces.

Preheat a large pot over medium heat. Add extra virgin olive oil with the tofu- and jackfruit pieces.

Fry for about 10 minutes until tofu has a light golden color. Carefully stir occasionally.

Transfer tofu and jackfruit to a bowl or plate and set aside.

Add 1 more Tbsp extra virgin olive oil to the pot, and sauté the onion for about 5 minutes.

Add carrots, celery, leeks, potatoes, tomatoes, caraway seeds, and veggie broth.

Increase heat and bring to a boil, then reduce again and cook covered for about 30 minutes. Make sure the stew stays at a gentle boil.

When all the vegetables are tender, add tofu and jackfruit. Carefully stir, then season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and, if necessary, Celtic sea salt. Saltiness depends on strength of the broth, so you might not even need to add more salt.

Top with green onion rings and lots of minced parsley. Enjoy!

Notes:

• Even better the next day! You will love how the delicious combination of flavors in this stew will have permeated the tofu.
• I used about 5½ lb (2500 g) fresh vegetables, just to give you an idea.
• You don’t have to use the exact same combination of veggies I used. Other options would be cabbage, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery root, … just to mention a few. I wouldn’t use any kind of summer squash, like zucchini, because they have such a short cooking time and would lose their texture in this stew.