Warm Tofu Salad

Oh what's this? A recipe? Been a while, eh?

You can easily do this salad with chicken if tofu isn't your thing. The green beans with herb butter were leftovers I added on a whim, as were the marinated olives from the olive salad I made earlier in the week. Black olives would be just as nice, or none at all if you prefer. It is a salad, not a nuclear bomb-you can change things up without serious consequences.

You Will Need:

1 lb. (about, more or less) extra firm tofu (not the silken type)
1 cube vegetable bouillon or about a teaspoon soup base
1/4 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons corn oil (or whatever you prefer)
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon malt vinegar
1 teaspoon honey or golden syrup (optional) more for colour than taste
Black pepper to taste

Slice the tofu into fourths. Lay flat on a kitchen towel, and cover with another towel. Weight under a plate and a couple tins until it soaks the towels. Repeat as needed until the tofu is mostly free of water (you won't completely rid it of moisture, and that's okay).

In a non-reactive baking dish (I use my old Pyrex) combine the veggie cube and water. Stir until mostly dissolved. Add the rest, stir and add the tofu slices, turning once to make sure they're coated. You can do this up to 24 hours ahead, chilling it until needed. You can also cook it immediately. Most of the mixture is absorbed in the cooking so I'm not convinced the long marinating period adds much. Do as you see fit.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake the tofu 30 minutes, then carefully turn it ( a couple forks work better than a flat turner) taking care to avoid splashing yourself with hot oil (learn from my mistakes) and bake another 30 minutes, or until golden and the edges look carmelised. Cool, then chill until ready to finish making the salad. Cut into bite-sized pieces, or slices. The tofu will keep several days, and this technique is good for all sorts of things from skewers with vegetables, to "Coronation Tofu" (Yes, I know it is wrong, but it is such good picnic fare for the vegetarians in your life). You can also treat it in a similar fashion to make faux salt beef by adding pickling spices and a bit of food colouring, swapping out the veggie cube for an imitation beef flavoured one. My point is, one baked tofu method has endless possibilities.

For the salad:
Mixed salad green, chilled ahead of time on a plate.
2-4 cups cooked, hot jasmine rice
2 teaspoons cumin seed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (you can of course use a chopped hot chilli if you have them to hand)
1 teaspoon ancho chilli powder (omit if using fresh chillies)
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or lime if you prefer-they're both ace with chillies)
A bit more oil to dress the salad, olives, and cucumbers if you wish
Optional coriander leaves at the table.

In a large dry pan, toast the cumin until fragrant. Remove and set aside. Heat the oil over medium heat, and add the onions. Cook them until they have softened, but not browned. Add the garlic, cumin seeds, chilli flakes, chilli powder, and paprika, Cook stirring for about a minute. Add the tofu and cook until it is coated with spices. Add 1/4 cup water and cook a few minutes longer until it forms a sauce. Remove from heat, and stir in the lemon or lime juice.

Assemble the salad with the warm rice over the cold green. Scatter some olives and cucumbers around the edge of the plate and then top the rice with the warm tofu mixture. If you need extra oil for the salad, add it now. I offer the coriander leaves at the table as so many people feel strongly about it, I find it best to let them decide for themselves. Life is too damn short to argue about coriander.

We'll be doing plenty of salads this week as we're in a heat-wave through Monday evening. 100 degree temps with high humidity isn't my idea of fun, and at that point the pool just feels like bathwater. Danny helped me make raspberry syrup today to serve with chilled mint-infused water. That's my secret survival tip from my years on the farm without central air conditioning.

So much for my complaining we'd never get summer.

Apricot Peel Quick Bread and Apricot Peel Baked Tofu

All that canning left us with a pile of apricot peels. The first peels were made into ice cream, but after the final batches of jam and fruit in syrup, I still had two cups of pureed peel to use.


I've always enjoyed applesauce cakes and tea loaves as they are moist without relying on much fat, and are good keepers. With that in mind, I adapted an applesauce tea bread recipe from America Cooks, substituting apricot puree for the applesauce, and raisins for the nuts. It worked! This is good to know, as we'll be bottling up Italian plums before you know it, and looking for something to do with the skins. I can't see why this wouldn't work with peaches, nectarines, or any soft-skinned fruit. Hooray, no waste!

With the tofu I was aiming for an apricot chicken sort of thing. My plan is to serve it over a bed of fruited cous cous tomorrow with a spicy chili and coriander jam.

 These last batches draw the 2015 Apricot Olympiad to a close. It was a good year. I had my doubts about the raspberry apricot jam, but Danny has a better sense for this sort of thing than I, and it is delicious. We only managed to eek out 5 half pints from the recipe-next year we'll do two batches.

For the loaf:
(Given in US measures)

2 cups plain flour
3/4  cup granulated sugar (you could reduce that to 1/2 with no harm done)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarb
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup pureed apricot peels
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup raisins (or nuts if you prefer)or currants, or chopped dried apricots-whatever you have/like.

Grease an 8 inch loaf tin. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together dry ingredients, add egg, puree, and butter. Mix Fold in raisins or nuts. until everything is moistened. Don't over-mix.

Pour into tin and bake 40-50 minutes (it will depend on your oven) until loaf tests done, but isn't bone dry. When cool, wrap tightly in a layer of wax paper, then cling film. These loaves improve with age, but I wouldn't expect you to wait (we didn't).

For the tofu:

A 1 lb. block of extra firm tofu pressed dry beneath towels, and cut into fourths.
1 cup apricot puree
1 tablespoon honey or golden syrup
1 vegetarian soup cube, ground to powder
3 tablespoons corn oil (or whatever you have)
2 tablespoons malt vinegar
1 tablespoon ground fennel seeds
1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Mix well, place in a baking dish with the tofu. You can marinate overnight if you like, or just go ahead and bake (I did the later).

Bake 30 minutes at 400 degrees F. Carefully flip the slices, and bake another 30-50 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Cool, then wrap tightly in cling film until needed if not serving immediately. If your prefer a more meat-like texture, slice the tofu thinly and saute in a hot pan until the texture firms and the slices caramelise.

The pan will be awful to clean-sorry. A good soak will help.

I hope these recipes give you some inspiration to put otherwise discarded food to good use.

Merguez Sausages in Phyllo-Lamb, and a Tofu Version

 

The tofu version

 The lamb option

These were such fun to make. Mr. ETB likes lamb, but Danny is vegetarian. As I was able to make use of the spice mix for both versions, it wasn't all that much more work to bake some tofu ahead of time. The assembly and baking went the same. I still have quite a bit of the merguez spice in the fridge, and a jar of homemade harissa paste. I'm sure they will get used.

I followed the recipe HERE for the spice mix: http://moroccanfood.about.com/od/spiceblendsmarinades/r/Merguez-Spice-Mix-Recipe.htm

And the recipe HERE for the harissa paste: http://moroccanfood.about.com/od/spiceblendsmarinades/r/harissa_recipe.htm

And the recipe for the sausage HERE: http://moroccanfood.about.com/od/beeflambandgoatrecipes/r/Merguez-Sausage-Recipe.htm

For the tofu I marinated slices of extra firm tofu in the spice mix with extra olive oil, and a veggie stock cube. I baked it at 400 degrees F. for 30 minutes each side. When cooled, I proceeded as with the sausage.

To form the pastry, first cook the sausages and let them cool. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a baking sheet. Layer phyllo dough brushing each layer with olive oil until you have five sheets. Don't oil the top sheet. Wrap the sausage in it, brush outside with oil, and bake about 40 minutes or until phyllo is golden.

I served the sausages with cous cous and raisins, along with a couple interesting salads. One is orange segments and olives with cumin, the other a tomato and scallion salad with lemon juice and olive oil. Both were devoured enthusiastically. The scallions and salad greens came from the garden, which is satisfying. Where I live scallions are over-priced, and often not very nice, so it is all the more enjoyable to go out and harvest what I need for a recipe.

Tofu Kebabs

This meal was easily made ahead, then put under the broiler five minutes before serving. The tofu and vegetables can be prepared up to a day ahead, but remember to soak your skewers for a couple hours before using them. This is great when you know you'll be arriving home with very little time to prepare dinner. The brown rice takes 50 minutes though, so plan ahead or use white.

 

For the tofu:

1 lb. block extra firm tofu cut into fourths, then pressed dry between towels

2 tablespoons corn oil

1 tablespoon soya sauce

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon smoked salt or a dash of liquid smoke

 

Place in a pan, turning once to coat. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 30 minutes each side. Cool. Wrap tightly in cling film and chill until you are ready to assemble the kebabs (the tofu is easier to handle cold)

 

For the Vegetables:

Use whatever you like-I had green bell peppers, onion, and tomatoes. Cut them up, place in a zipper bag with:

3 tablespoons corn oil

1 teaspoon soya sauce

1 teaspoon dried ginger

1 tablespoon honey

3 whole garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

 

Let soak in the fridge until needed.

 

Assemble the kebabs on the soaked skewers, and arrange on a rack over a pan to catch drips. Broil about 4 inches from the element (my oven is electric)or flame. You will have marinade left, so use it to baste the kebabs as they cook if it seems they are drying out too quickly.

 

Serve hot over rice.

The Best Baked Tofu You Will Ever Eat

Make a large quantity of the marinade to keep in the fridge. I made the sauce to baste a Hawaiian style roast duck for Mr. ETB's birthday, and the remainder ended up in this tofu. I'm kind of sorry I didn't make more.

 

For the marinade:

1/2 cup soy sauce (I use Silver Swan brand)
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 large garlic cloves, sliced
grated fresh ginger to taste (I used about a 2 inch piece)

Place it all in a saucepan, and simmer until reduced-about 1 hour. Store extra in the fridge.
For the tofu:

Slice a block of extra firm tofu into 4 pieces. Press dry between kitchen towels, changing them a few times. This should take about 20 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Place tofu in a casserole dish (I use non-metallic). It will be a mess to clean, but soaking will solve most of your problems. Just be warned. Cover with marinade, and you can let it stand, turning once for 30 minutes in the fridge, or as long as overnight. Most of it ends up absorbed anyway.

Bake 30 minutes, then turn slices and bake another 30. Cool.

To serve:

slice into strips, then lightly brown in a small  bit of sesame oil in a frying pan-you don't want to deep-fry this.

I served this with brown rice, carrots, ginger, broccoli and sautéed kumquats (Slice then thin, then quickly cook them with a bit of oil, sugar, and salt). Any leftovers would make an excellent sandwich next day. I didn't have leftovers-they ate it all!

Danny's Curried Tofu and Onions-Women's Day, 1966

 

This week Danny's recipe once again comes from his favourite set of cookery books, The Women's day Encyclopedia of Cookery. I don't know how Indian this recipe is, but it was well received. Danny substituted baked t5ofu for the chicken. The recipe for baked tofu will be included at the end. This would also work well with the vegetarian "chicken" products available at health food stores.

The rice has coconut, apricots, mint, and a lime leaf stirred in halfway through cooking. Nice if you have lime leaves, but no big deal if you don't. The curry was so flavourful it didn't really need anything beyond plain rice.



The recipe gave a choice of using butter or oil. I would interpret butter as ghee, and as we were pressed for time, I encouraged Danny to use oil. I know, five minutes of skimming and straining is hardly work, but oil is still easier. If I had ghee, I would have let him use it.

We put together an interesting chutney this week with dried apples, dates, pears, and pretty much whatever I had to use up. I'm forever finding bags of dried fruit with but a handful left because some people...(not naming anyone here) refuse to use up the old before opening the new. Thank god for chutney. Anyway, we made a large batch as there's no point in doing otherwise.

For the baked tofu:

Slice a 1 lb. block of extra firm tofu into fourths. Press between towels with a weight (a heavy pan will do) for 10 minutes. Change toweling, and repeat. Meanwhile, stir together 4 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, 2 chicken or veggie flavoured soup cubes-crushed, 1 tablespoon honey, and some minced onion to taste. Pour into a casserole dish. Add the pressed tofu, cover and let marinate overnight. Next day, heat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Carefully turn slices, and bake another 30-40 minutes or until firm, and nicely charred at the edges. You can make this up to 3 days ahead.

For the Curry (They called it Murgha Kari, but I have my doubts as this was an American cookbook from 1966 when curry powder was only for devilled eggs)

4 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons curry powder (he used half that as ours is strong)
1/2 cup butter or oil
1 8 ounce tin of tomato sauce
2 teaspoons salt (Danny halved that)
1 frying chicken (2-3 lbs) or the tofu as prepared above, disjointed and skinned
3/4 cup hot water

In a large pot with a lid (or a skillet with a lid) heat the oil, onions, and curry powder over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add tomato sauce and salt. Add chicken or tofu and cook uncovered over medium heat until tomato sauce is mostly dry, and the chicken tests done (the tofu will be fine, you need not worry about overcooking it). Add the hot water, cover, and reduce heat to low. Heat through 5 minutes. Serve with rice.

Fennel Baked Tofu

Want to make your kitchen  smell like a distillery? Try my fennel baked tofu recipe. I served this with linguine, sautéed courgettes, rainbow carrots, preserved lemon, and a handful of mint. I skipped alliums altogether-something I hardly ever do, That was a good call.

The dinner went over well, as there were no leftovers (which I was planning on, but eh, whatever).

Fennel Baked Tofu:

1 block extra firm tofu
1 heaping tablespoon fennel seed
2 tablespoons salad oil (I used sunflower as I wanted a neutral flavor)
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Golden Syrup (or honey)
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt (OR 1 teaspoon table salt)

Cut tofu into fourths. Press between kitchen towels until mostly dry. Grind fennel seed into a fine powder. In a small bowl (or measuring glass) combine everything but tofu. Mix well. Place in a heatproof casserole dish (I prefer to use glass, or ceramic when cooking with vinegar, but that's probably a hold over from when most pans were aluminum). Add the tofu, turning to coat all sides. You can marinate this up to a day ahead, but I don't find it makes much difference. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Turn the tofu and bake another 30-40 minutes or until nicely browned.

The tofu will keep for a few days, tightly wrapped in cling film, and makes a delicious cold sandwich.

Coronation Tofu

Can you smell the retro?



Coronation chicken is one of those foods I haven't been able to face for years-my mother ruined a lot of food for me. With the Jubilee this weekend, I thought it time to revisit the curried slop (er, salad) replacing the chicken with a baked tofu. I know what you're thinking, but know what? It worked. Not only did it work, but in some ways it is an improvement over chicken as the texture is better. Maybe your mother didn't stew her chicken beyond recognition to the point where it was some sort of sticky mush, which was then tossed in curry powder and salad cream. She went through a period of cooking everything with Madras curry powder, which I like, but I could do without the hard cooked eggs. Or overcooked chicken. Curried chicken over rice was the last thing she cooked before went in hospital for the surgery that killed her. I always felt kind of bad that the last meal she ate in her own home was some crap curried chicken. Had I known it would be the end, I would have driven down the street, and bought her doner kebab from the falafel joint with the drive through (that was the only redeeming thing about that suburb was being able to get a kebab at 1 AM when everywhere else was closed). Instead, she got curried chicken. Twenty years on I still remember coming home from the funeral and dumping it down the garbage disposal.

Aw geez, this isn't making you want curried chicken salad, is it? I didn't think I did either, but a couple decades away from it did help me look at it anew.

I followed the recipe HERE, with a few changes (obviously using tofu rather than chicken, but also making a homemade chutney, and cooked salad dressing). Because of nut allergies, we skipped the almonds, but I had just sprouted a container of lentils, which made for a nice crunch. I made sandwiches to take along on a picnic today, and they were enjoyed by all. At home, serve it over a bed of rice with some salad greens.



Photo of a child enjoying himself at a picnic. I gave him a haircut last evening. I was given strict instructions not to cut too much as he likes his, "rock star hair." I should have given him a damned mullet. Anyway, he's at that age (seven) where he can't be persuaded to smile for a camera, but really, he was enjoying himself. I know he was as he ate two Coronation chicken sandwiches.
I enjoyed myself as well. I could use some self-tanner, eh? Gosh. The light at home is so bad I leave the house thinking I look OK and then see photos of myself and I'm like, "Hey, who's the pasty ghoul?" and then well...yeah, self tanner. Note to self.

My adjustments:

The Tofu: Slice a block of extra firm tofu into slices 1/2 inch thick. Press dry between towels for about thirty minutes. meanwhile, make a marinade of:
1 veggie soup base cube
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
A generous grind of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons neutral salad oil (I had soybean)

Whisk together, pour over tofu in a pan. Turn tofu once, then bake in a 400 degree F. oven 30 minutes. Turn the slices, bake another 30. Cool. Slice as thinly as possible in strips to resemble shredded chicken, or dice finely if you prefer. This will be your, "chicken" proceed with recipe.

For the chutney:

I cannot handle mangoes as I am allergic to latex and the sap on the skins gives me a terrible rash (true, strange I know). To compensate, I used fresh peaches, dried apricots, and some apricot jam to make a sweet chutney.

1/2 cup finely chopped dried apricots
1 cup raisins
1 small red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons thick apricot jam
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary
1/8 cup finely chopped ginger root
1/2 cup water
4 fresh peaches, peeled and chopped

Combine all, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook until thickened. Makes about 1 1/2 pints.

Tofu Biryani

Well of course it isn't traditional. I also omitted the cashew nuts, so it is a nut-free Biryani as well.

This is a two-day project, but unless you have a particularly greedy bunch to feed, it should provide you with several days of leftovers. That makes the effort seem worth it to my mind. I used tofu because I'm now wild about seitan "meat" replacements. I have no idea how this would work with them, but if you try it, I'd be interested to hear how it turned out. When re-heat this, add a few drop of olive oil to a large pan and give it a blast of heat before reducing it to low. This will help it maintain a crispy bottom layer of rice.

Marinade:
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 small onions, finely minced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 tablespoons (not a misprint) finely chopped fresh ginger (peel it first)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 chicken flavoured (or veggie) soup cubes, crushed and diluted with 2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons malt vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces plain yoghurt

Mix it all together really well. Take a package of extra firm tofu, cut it into 4 slices and press it dry under weights. Mix with marinade and layer in a non-reactive pan (glass is good). Chill overnight.

Next day, remove the tofu from the marinade (reserve the marinade) and cut into small cubes. In a heavy, heat proof pan (I used a Dutch oven) bake in a 400 degree f. oven for 30 minutes, stirring a few times to allow for even browning.

Meanwhile, slice 3 onions as thinly as possible. Measure out 1/3 cup of olive oil. Remove 3 tablespoons. You will use this to fry the onions. Set aside 3 tablespoons of raisins, and 1/4 teaspoon cardamom to fry with the onions.

Remove the tofu from the oven and stir in the reserved marinade, and the reserved oil. Cover and let sit until needed. Heat 1/4 cup of milk, 1 teaspoon saffron threads, and 1 teaspoon of sugar just until sugar dissolves. Let steep 5 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, make the rice. Boil 1 1/2 cups long grain while rice in enough water to cover by several inches. Cook 7 minutes, then drain well. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Spoon the rice over the tofu and marinade. Add the milk/saffron and mix well to distribute the yellow colour. Cover dish tightly, and bake 1 hour. Meanwhile, make the onions.

In the reserved 3 tablespoons of oil, fry the onions, cardamom and raisins over very low heat until they begin to soften and colour. This should take about 30 minutes. At the end, turn up the heat to really fry the onions until deeply browned. Remove to a plate covered in absorbent paper (I use paper lunch sacks) . Use this to top the Biryani. Serve with yoghurt,

Tofu Donner Kebab

I didn't attempt forming the tofu into the typical cone shape because that would be absurd. Instead, I focused my efforts on re-creating one of Mr. ETB's favourite meals. I went ahead and made pickled carrots and onions to serve inside the pita with lettuce, yoghurt, and the fake kebab-it turned out better than I expected. I knew it would be OK, I didn't think the boys would love it as much as they did.

The spices are being listed leaving amounts to your own taste. I don't see why you couldn't use it as a guide for seasoning lamb mince, or sausages-at least, I don't see it being limited to tofu.

You Will Need:

Extra Firm Tofu-sliced 1/4 inch thick in slabs and pressed dry of liquid between towels and weights for 30 minutes, changing toweling a few times.

4 Tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Cumin
Smoked salt
Thyme
mace
Fennel Seeds
1 beef-flavoured soup cube, crushed
1 tablespoon sugar

Mix all together well and pour into a large baking dish. Arrange tofu slices, turning once to coat. Cover with cling film and let sit at least six hours, or overnight in the fridge.

Next day:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake 30 minutes, uncovered. Carefully turn slices with a fork (it will be fragile) and bake another 30-40 minutes or until quite firm and resembling the texture of sliced lamb.

Cool on a fresh plate (rather than sitting in excess oil) and chill, well wrapped until needed. To re-warm, I gave it about 1 1/2 minutes in the microwave.

Homemade Tofu "Bacon"

Another fake meat experiment with tofu that turned out really well. You can skip the food colouring of course, though the smoked salt does tend to give the tofu an unattractive grey look without it.

You Will Need:

1 pound extra firm tofu cut into fourths and pressed dry under weights for 30 minutes.
5 tablespoons corn oil
1 teaspoon smoked salt
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Golden Syrup
Red Food Colouring

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place tofu in an 8x8 pan. Pour over remaining ingredients well combined. Turn tofu once to coat. Bake 30 minutes on each side. Tofu should be firm, but not hard with just the slightest char at the edges. Remove to a plate and cool. Store tightly wrapped in fridge. I sliced it thin to use on BLT sandwiches on buttermilk white bread.

Vegetarian Shisk Kabobs

I was in a retro mood as my family bought me a large box of Twinkies for my birthday. Well, you know, they're going bankrupt and I mentioned that I hadn't had a Twinkie in something like forty years...next thing i know I'm unwrapping an beautifully decorated box of snack cakes. Know what? They weren't as bad as expected. The cake seems less squishy than I recall, and while it was so sweet it actually did that thing to my head where it goes all woo woo from sugar, it wasn't inedible. Logically, it follows that after consuming a Twinkie, I had to make shisk kabob.

I think my mother made this sort of thing quite a bit-with a marinade of Italian dressing. I didn't want that, so I went with the idea of a vegetarian pepper steak on skewers. I know, but stay with me for a minute as it worked better than I ever could have imagined.

The tofu will never fool you into thinking it is round steak, but it did have all the flavourings of a good steak-onion, garlic, imitation beef stock. By marinating the tofu and baking it in that mix I was able to get a decent flavour and texture that while not meat, and not meat substitute, does at least reflect the overall effect of a pepper steak. Sort of. I mean, there are limits to everything.

Danny took charge of assembling the kabobs and did a terrific job (nothing fell off in the broiler). He's quite pleased with the results and I have a feeling many more skewered meals are in our future.

For the Tofu:

1 package extra firm tofu
3 tablespoons corn oil
1/4 cup imitation beef stock
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1/2 tablespoon dried minced garlic
Ground black pepper
Smoked salt to taste
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Slice tofu into fourths. Lay slices on a towel, cover with a second towel and weight with a heavy bottle (or tine, etc.) After ten minutes, change to new towels and repeat. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Combine other ingredients and whisk well. Place tofu slices in a baking pan (an 8x8 ought to do it) and pour over the marinade. Flip the slices once and place in the oven.

Bake 30 minutes. Turn, bake 30 minutes longer. Then prop on sides-do 5 minutes each side. Remove to a plate and cool. Then, chill until needed. Can be made well ahead.

For the vegetables:

2 large green bell peppers, cut into good sized squares
1-2 large tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes if you have them) cut into wedges, obvious seeds removed
1 large red onion, cut into eighths
8 ounces mushrooms, stems removed (don't pitch them, you can use them for something else)

Vegetable marinade:

1/4 cup orange juice (I used blood oranges because I had it)
2 tablespoons corn oil
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon ground ginger (powdered)
1 tablespoon cane syrup (Steens, Golden syrup, honey is also OK)
1 teaspoon dried garlic
Black pepper

Mix well, pour over vegetables. I did this in a plastic bag and left it in the fridge all day.

Assemble the kabobs:

I soaked my wooden skewers for two hours to be safe. I'm told 30 minutes is enough, but these were thick, and I'm paranoid. Do as you see fit.

Cut your slabs of cold tofu into cubes.

Drain the vegetables, reserving the marinade. Place on skewers (I got about ten, but it will vary with how you load them) alternating with tofu.

Place a rack on a large roasting pan if you do not own a broiling pan (I don't). As you make the kabobs, place them on. When all are assembled, brush them generously and place them under a hot broiler for five minutes. I played it safe and kept them far from the element, but if you have a gas range with the broiler on the bottom, you may not have a choice. Turn the pan to ensure it gets equal broiling. After five minutes, flip the kabobs and baste with more marinade. Broil another five minutes. Have a look, if they are dry, add more marinade, if they look done, pull them out. This will require a bit of attention on your part.

If you have any marinade left, heat it to serve with the kabobs over rice.

Tofu Kiev

Well, someone had to do it. I didn't think these would stand up to butter, so I filled them with brown rice, onions and herbs. That worked really beautifully. I mean, look at them! Look at my achievement! Why? Well, if you have to ask...

I'll get the full recipe up tomorrow, but it is basically tofu marinated in a fake chicken soup base and oil, then baked until firm. I filled the slices with rice, mashed them together, coated them in egg, then dry breadcrumbs and chilled them for an hour. Then, a deep fry. It sounds like a pain in the behind, but really, it wasn't.

Lumpia-Gourmet Magazine June 1972

These are not what I typically think of as, "Lumpia." At least they aren't what my friend Miriam used to make. Hers were fried. I'm pretty sure she bought the wrappers frozen as well. Still, in 1972 the western understanding of Philippine cookery might have been limited by what was served in larger cities. Traditional or not, they were eaten to the last.

A few thoughts:

I would make these smaller. What I ended up with were not unlike the size of a burrito. No one here seemed to mind, but really, they would have rolled better smaller.

I made fake ham for the filling, and skipped the seafood altogether. I have no idea if Danny is allergic to shellfish, but he's allergic to practically everything else, and I wasn't in the mood to deal with eppi pens tonight. Mr. ETB who has eaten his share of ham over the years, said I made a convincing substitute from the baked tofu. Smoked salt, corn oil, honey, cloves and cider vinegar did the trick. Tofu is kind of miraculous in the way it absorbs whatever flavour you soak it in. So that worked, I'm pleased.

The pancakes for this recipe are difficult to make. I consider myself pretty skilled with a crepe, but these were really temperamental. Cook them longer than you think you need to, and they will release from the sides. You should also whisk everything together before pouring. It didn't say to in the recipe, and it seems counter-intuitive after beating egg whites and folding yolks, but really, if you don't whisk it, you will be frying puffs of egg whites. It took a few tries, but eventually I figured it out.

This issue has an entire section devoted to aspics. 1972. God I miss the early 70's. There are few things I enjoy more than a tomato aspic. Unfortunately, no one in this household will touch it. *Sniffle*. Anyone want to come over and have a tomato aspic on iceberg lettuce with stilton? I'm suddenly possessed of a desire to learn bridge.

Because this is a vintage recipe, and possibly of interest to people that like this sort of thing, I'll post the recipe as it appeared in my copy of Gourmet in June 1972.

Make the pancakes: In a bowl beat 2 egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form soft peaks. Fold in 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten. Dissolve 1/2 cup cornstarch (cornflour) in 1 cup of water until smooth. Add this to the egg mixture. (My note, whisk it together at this point). Heat a 6 inch crepe pan (don't be a moron like me and use a large pan) and brush it with olive oil. Pour in 2 tablespoons of batter and tilt and rotate pan to cover the bottom evenly with batter. Cook the pancake until it is firm and slide it onto a plate without turning it. Continue in this manner until all batter is used.

Make the filling:
In a skillet saute 1/2 onion, thinly sliced and 1 clove garlic, minced in 2 tablespoons olive oil until the vegetables are soft. Add 1/4 pound cooked pork, diced, 1/2 cup cooked chick peas, 1/4 cup peeled and diced raw shrimps, and 2 tablespoons chopped ham. Cook the mixture stirring for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup julienne strips of raw green bean, 1 raw carrots cut into 1 inch long julienne strips, and 4 ounces of water chestnuts, thinly sliced. Simmer the mixture, covered stirring once or twice for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup shredded cabbage and simmer covered for 5 minutes more or until vegetables are tender. Add 1 teaspoon salt or to taste (If using tinned chickpeas, omit salt).

Arrange a lettuce leaf on each pancake. Put 1 tablespoon of the filling on each leaf. Fold in 2 sides of pancake, and roll them up.

Make the sauce:
In a small saucepan combine 1/2 cup beef broth, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Bring to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water. Simmer the sauce 1 minute. Pour into a small bowl, sprinkle it with 1/2 a chopped garlic clove, and serve it with the pancakes. Makes about 18 lumpia.

Tofu Salt Beef/Corned Beef

(scrape the pickling spice off before you serve it)


Keep in mind, that if I'm dared to cook something, odds are I'll probably do it.

I used the same method I use for baked tofu with mustard, barbecue, schnitzel, Chinese, etc. As long as there is enough oil and vinegar in the pan, the spices are pretty easy to adjust. I added a bit of food colouring to make it more appealing, but you can of course skip that.

I have a sourdough ryebread ready for baking in the morning, and tomorrow night, I plan to turn this tofu into vegetarian Reubens. Even as it was baking away in the oven, I was doubtful it would be edible, let alone bear any similarity to salt beef. Well! Yes, I am quite pleased with myself. Now I suppose I have to try the tofu chicken Kiev, just to say I tried.

You Will Need:

1 package extra firm tofu, sliced into 8 pieces, and pressed dry
6 tablespoons corn oil
3 tablespoons pickling spice
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3-4 drops red food colouring

Mix everything except tofu in a bowl, whisking to combine. Pour half in a large baking dish that will let the tofu sit in a single layer (I used a 9x13). Place tofu in dish, turn once to coat, and pour remaining marinade over the top. Cover, and let sit in fridge 2-6 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake 30 minutes. Turn slices and rotate the pan to ensure even browning. Turn again, bake another 30 minutes. Mine took another twenty minutes after that, but it will depend how much water you were able to extract from the tofu, how hard you like your baked tofu, etc. It should have a bit of a char on the edges. Remove to a plate, cool. Wrap tightly in cling film and store in the fridge. It will take on a "meatier" texture as it settles after baking.

Tofu Schnitzel and Wild Rice Casserole

Danny: Can I have another serving...not because it is a technical achievement, which it is, but because I really like it?


If that doesn't make you want to try making these, nothing will. I should have snapped a photograph before transferring it to the pot with the peas and paprika sour cream sauce-but take Danny's word for it, this is a delicious way to prepare tofu.

What I call a schnitzel, you may call a cutlet, or a patty. Whatever the name, it is basically extra-firm tofu pressed dry of water,thinly sliced, then baked in oil, vinegar, and garlic. When cooled, I coated it in an egg wash (you could use imitation egg to keep it vegan) and rolled each slab in sourdough breadcrumbs before frying it in a bit more olive oil. It could go right on a roll at that point and make an impressive mock fried chicken sandwich, or you could simmer it in sauce as I did and treat it like a goulash. The combination of pre-baking and then frying the tofu makes for a rather impressive meat substitute. It is also much less expensive than buying the frozen ones. I don't know if this technique could be taken to the point where it could produce a mock chicken Kiev-but I'm tempted to try it.

I also made a lovely wild rice casserole, though I suppose noodles would have been the logical side for this. *shrugs*

For The Tofu Schnitzel:

1 package extra-firm tofu sliced into thin pieces and pressed dry between (several) towels.
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons corn oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, chopped

Combine oils, vinegar, sugar, salt and garlic. Pour into a baking dish and arrange tofu pieces, turning once to coat. If you have time, it can marinate for several hours, but baking it right away is fine as well. Place the dish in a 400 degree F. oven and bake 30 minutes. Flip the tofu pieces and bake another 30 minutes, turning heat to 375 degrees F. if the tofu begins to burn. Remove to a rack to drain. Chill until cold.

When tofu is chilled, beat 1 or 2 eggs together, and in another bowl have about 2 cups dry breadcrumbs seasoned with salt and pepper. Dip the tofu pieces in egg, letting excess drain back into bowl. Roll in crumbs, and transfer to a plate. Let chill 1 hour before frying.

To fry:

Heat olive oil in a pan-maybe an inch deep at most. Take care that it doesn't smoke. Fry the tofu slices a minute or two on each side until nicely browned. Use as you like.


For the Wild Rice Casserole:

2/3 cup wild rice, rinsed
3 cups water

Place rinsed rice in a saucepan with water. bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute. Cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook 40-45 minutes or until soft, checking once in a while that the water does not boil out. Drain and rinse again with hot water. Drain. Set aside until needed, or chill.

3-4 tablespoons olive oil
3 stalks celery, scraped and chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and shredded on large holes of a box grater
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
Salt/pepper
1/2 cup vegetable stock

Heat olive oil in a large pot or pan over medium heat. Add everything but the cooked rice and stock. Cook until vegetables are soft and onion is transparent. Turn off heat, mix in rice. Transfer to a baking dish. Pour broth over rice/veg and cover. Bake about 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Stir a few times during cooking.

Sweet and Salty Tofu

Think salted caramel with a strong hit of molasses.

I had no idea what to make tonight, but I started chopping the vegetables I had early this morning, and I figured by 5 PM something would suggest itself. I had a busy day at home organising books, culling books for donation/storage, and assembling lesson plans for the Fall semester. Between all this, I'd take fifteen minutes, to chop a few carrots, remove corn from cobs, and chop parsley. Somehow I filled a gigantic carton with books for donation (how I plan to move said box to the car, I haven't quite worked out but I suspect it will begin something like, "Dearheart? Can you do me a favour?") washed and hung the laundry out, and deposited dinner on the table. I tried my best to get into the garden, but the 98 degrees F. heat with a heat index of something like 107 convinced me that I'd be happier inside sorting books.

Yes, as a matter of fact my back does hurt, but it is from sitting on the floor sorting books-not standing on my feet. It shouldn't surprise anyone that I'm contrarian right down to the way my body aches.

I discovered something interesting going through Danny's books today-we had a number of duplicate titles. I suspect both Mr. ETB and myself share the same taste in books, and ideas about what the boy should be reading. Consistency is good for children, I guess.

Right, so you want to know about this beautiful tofu dish, don't you? Very well, but feel free to use whatever vegetables you have at home (I mean within reason-I don't think this would be very good with beets, or collard greens).

For The Tofu:

(This can be made ahead and kept chilled until you are ready to assemble dinner)

1 block extra firm tofu
1 few tablespoons cooking oil
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar (I mix dark molasses with cane sugar which is a bit deeper flavour than store-bought brown sugar, but anything will do)
Salt

Press the block of tofu dry between kitchen towels. You will need a large stack of towels (at least five) as tofu can really soak up moisture. Slicing it into 4 pieces is also a good way to press out extra moisture. Weight it with a book or something if you can. After about 30 minutes of pressing, you should be ready to cook.

Heat a pan over medium/high heat. Add the oil a tablespoon at a time-you don't want to deep fry the tofu, just fry it until it colours. Cut the tofu into cubes and fry in batches, turning with a fork until all sides are golden. Normally I would have you drain the tofu, but this time, remove it to a bowl. When all the tofu is fried, mix the salt and brown sugar into the bowl with a small bit more oil. Use more oil on the pan to keep it from sticking if you need to. Return the sugared tofu to the pan over medium high heat and cook, stirring carefully so you do not break the cubes, but moving quickly until it is golden and carmelised. Remove to a plate and chill until needed (or use right away).

The vegetables should be seasoned to offset the sweetness of the tofu. I used dry mustard, sweet paprika, salt/pepper, red pepper flakes, thyme, and fresh parsley (about a cup). I cooked the brown rice with a large bay leaf in the pot.

The vegetables used here were:
Carrots
Corn
Scallions
Parsley
Purple runner beans

I cooked them quickly in a bit of olive oil. In the last few minutes, I mixed in the reserved tofu just to re-warm it.

Paprika Baked Tofu in Puff Paste With Carrots and Red Peppers

Everything I've used here, I've done before (Puff paste recipe HERE, Tofu recipe HERE.) But I thought it might be worthwhile to show you a different way of putting it together. I pre-cooked both the tofu, and vegetables earlier in the day so that the pastry could bake quickly at high heat (425 degrees F.). After rolling out the puff paste, I mounded the filling in a strip down the centre, then cut strips to fold over ladder-style. I brushed them lightly with an egg wash and baked.

I don't see any reason you couldn't do this with store-bought puff paste- I've used the stuff with excellent results on desserts, etc. If you do make your own, it freezes well and costs considerably less than store bought, and you get some control of the butter quality as well-but really, I wouldn't turn my nose up at the frozen variety.

Sesame and Soy

Inspired by Janice at Columbia Creations, I have a few unusual recipes for soy and sesame seeds (not together, though they are complimentary). I'm really excited to see how her sesame seeds grow-that's something difficult to purchase when your child is nut-allergic as they tend to be packaged in the same facilities as nuts. growing our own would certainly solve that problem. As for soy-that's a staple item in our house, so I have some experience that may be helpful.

First, the sesame seeds. My favourite candy from childhood is made of sesame. We always bought them individually wrapped in orange and brown cellophane bags-but I haven't seen those around in years. The recipe I'm giving here is very close.

Sesame Candy:
From Amish and Mennonite Kitchens, Good/Pellman

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup honey (any flavour is fine (clover, buckwheat, etc.) but I wouldn't use the super-runny stuff for this).
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 cups
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla (half a teaspoon orange blossom water is also excellent)

In a heavy saucepan combine sugar, honey, butter, and water. Cook to 290 degrees f. Being careful not to scorch the mixture (I use medium heat). Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Pour into a well-greased shallow pan (10x15x1). When partially cooled, mark cutting lines with a knife. When cold, break apart on indentations. Wrap pieces tightly in cellophane. Makes about 2 lbs.

Sesame Biscuits/Cookies:

These are wonderful, and so simple to make. I've posted them before HERE.



Now, the soy.

Vegetarian pot stickers are a nice way to use baked tofu and/or frozen edamame (soybeans). They are a bit of work, but they freeze really well-you might as well have a dumpling factory day and make them in quantity. Recipe HERE.

How about honey-mustard baked tofu in a bread roulade? Easier than dumplings, and filled with soy. Recipe HERE.

Sesame Baked Tofu (See! Sesame and tofu together!) HERE. This is the recipe I use for Asian dishes, and it really is the best one I've found. All the versions of baked tofu i do (mustard, paprika, barbecue) are all based on the recipe at Pro Bono Baker. I've been making it since she published it, and sometimes I can't believe I ever baked tofu another way. Hands, down-this is the best way to bake tofu I've tried (and I've baked quite a bit of tofu over the years).


I hope you find something you enjoy.

A Colourful Dinner

Dinner just looked so pretty, I had to photograph it.



Paprika baked tofu

Steamed Broccoli

Braised red cabbage with raisins and red wine

Rice in vegetable broth with peas, onions, and carrots

All served with thick slices of sourdough bread.


Not bad for a Monday night.