MEMORIES OF OLD FRIENDS & A VEGAN VERSION OF MY GREAT-GRAMMA'S "FINNAN HADDIE"

Vegan "Finnan Haddie"

This is one of my favorite dishes from my new book, World Vegan Feast. It's called Finnan Haddie and, odd as it may seem, the fishy version of this, made with smoked haddock, was a winter favorite of mine when I was a kid.  I have many, many food memories (interesting food was important to me at an early age), and one memory in particular is of being served this stew on a chilly winter night at the home of our friend Rosie, who lived on a beautiful, funky homestead near Felton, CA (close to Santa Cruz).  I still go back to Rosie's house in my mind when I eat this stew.  

I have to digress here:
Rosie was born in 1910 and was the daughter of refugees from the Armenian genocide. She was one of the most free-thinking and fascinating people I've ever known.  She was a little older than my mom, but they stayed friends all of their lives.  They met through my mom's sister, Jonnie.  Jonnie and Rosie worked in the San Francisco shipyards during WWII. (I don't know whether or not Rosie was a riveter, but my Aunt Jonnie was a rivet-catcher.) 

 My mom, Eve Tonge Urbina, on the L, Rosie in the middle, and my Aunt Jonnie (Jeanette) Tonge Rankin (Summer 1943, San Francisco)

Rosie built her house pretty much by herself, sometimes with the help of my young uncle Kenny and his friend Dalny.  Dalny was the son of another old family friend, Gene Travaglio, an Italian anarchist printer whose wife Esther was another close friend of my mother's (obviously, I have some interesting family memories, too!)-- you can read a little about Esther and Gene here.  I remember them as very kind older people.

Anyway, back to the stew! My mother made it according to her Grandmother Marie Colwell's recipe-- the Colwells were of Scottish ancestry.  Finnan Haddie is actually the term for a form of smoked haddock, named for the Aberdeen fishing village of Findon, Scotland (near Aberdeen)-- locally pronounced "Finnan". The haddock was cold-smoked over peat and was evidently more tender than the usual stiff, hard smoke-dried fish. Finnan Haddie was often served poached in milk for breakfast, which I assume was the origin of this type of recipe. 

As a young girl, I found this stew tremendously comforting on a winter night and I was quite thrilled when I was able to devise a vegan version that I found just as satisfying.

Soya Nova Smoked Tofu

NOTE: Be sure to use a brand of smoked tofu with plenty of smoked flavor.  There are some out there that are pretty tasteless, so do some taste tests!  I use this Canadian product: http://www.soyanova.com/

Printable Copy

BRYANNA’S VEGAN CREAMED "FINNAN HADDIE" (Milky Smoked Tofu Stew with Potatoes and Onions) 
Serves 6

4 cups creamy non-dairy milk (I use Silk Original soy milk)
2 Tbs chicken-style veggie broth powder or paste (Better than Bouillon No-Chicken vegan broth paste is delicious!)
1 tsp salt 
1 tsp liquid smoke  (see this post for info about this ingredient)
1 long piece konbu seaweed 
2 bay leaves 
2 medium onions, thinly sliced 
8 medium thin-skinned potatoes, peeled if you wish, and quartered 
450 g (about 1 lb.) smoked tofu, thinly sliced (Use a smoked tofu that has a really smoky flavor-- see NOTE above)
freshly-ground black pepper to taste 
chopped fresh parsley for garnish 

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large shallow pot. Add the konbu, bay leaf, onion, potato and tofu. 

Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer, covered until the potato is tender. (The milk will have thickened into a sauce.) 

Remove from heat, taste for salt and add plenty of pepper. Remove the konbu and sprinkle with chopped parsley. The stew is further enriched by adding a pat of vegan butter to each serving, but I leave this to your discretion. Serve in bowls. 

Nutrition Facts 
Nutrition (per serving): 291.4 calories; 19% calories from fat; 6.2g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 951.4mg sodium; 1246.9mg potassium; 43.1g carbohydrates; 5.1g fiber; 6.3g sugar; 37.9g net carbs; 18.3g protein; 5.5 points. 

Enjoy!