Tempeh Marsala

I love to cook and don’t mind spending the time it usually takes to make delicious, healthy and cruelty-free meals for family.  However, there are times when I need to make something quickly, yet I don’t want to sacrifice flavor or nutrition.  So last night, one of those nights when I had too many things I needed to do, and not enough time to do them, I gathered a few ingredients together and made this dish in about half an hour.  It was really great and certainly didn’t taste like I took any shortcuts at all!  The simplicity of this recipe allows for the taste of the tempeh, mushrooms and marsala to come shining through, and I was able to feed my family and get out of the kitchen in no time at all!  I know a lot of recipes call for steaming the tempeh first, to get rid of any bitterness, but there really is no bitterness in this recipe at all – I promise!!  Slicing the tempeh in half to thin it really allowed it to soak up all the yummy flavors and even my kids, who are most definitely not huge fans of mushrooms, went back for seconds!  To me, that is a successful meal!!  

• 3 (8 oz) packages tempeh
• 3 T “butter” (I use earth balance)
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 lb chopped button mushrooms
• 1 c marsala wine, divided
• 1 T arrowroot powder or cornstarch
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 T chopped parsley

Cut each block of tempeh in half widthwise, so that it is half as thick.  Then cut each of the 6 tempeh pieces into about 6 triangles (36  triangles total).

Cooking Tempeh Marsala

Melt 2 T of the “butter” in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the shallots and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.  Place half of the tempeh triangles on top of the shallots and cook until browned, about 5 minutes per side.  Remove that batch of tempeh, melt the remaining 1 T “butter, and cook the remaining tempeh triangles.  Remove this second batch of tempeh from the pan.  Add the olive oil and the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.  Pour 3/4 c of marsala into the pan and turn up to medium high heat.  Once it is bubbling, cook for 5 minutes more to burn out the alcohol.

In a small bowl, mix the arrowroot powder with the remaining 1/4 c marsala and add to the pan.  Cook for a few minutes to thicken.  Add the tempeh back in and stir to distribute the sauce over all the triangles.  Garnish with parsley.

Serves 6