deep-fry it until golden. The inclusion of snow peas, broccoli florets, yellow squash, braised spinach, or another brightly colored and simply cooked vegetable added at the end make the dish much more vibrant
.
The Sauce
2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons molasses or brown sugar
1 tablespoon mushroom soy, tamari, or regular soy sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¾ cup red wine
2 large garlic cloves, pressed
⅓ cup water
•
The Tofu and Vegetables
One carton regular or firm tofu, drained
5 teaspoons peanut oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, diced into ½-inch squares
1 red bell pepper, cut into large, irregular pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into large, irregular pieces
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
12 ounces mushrooms (mixed brown, white, and shiitake are good)
2 Roma tomatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups snow peas, broccoli florets, or other vegetable
¼ cup chopped parsley or cilantro
1. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
2. Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes. Heat a nonstick skillet and brush with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add the tofu and cook over medium-high heat until golden-brown on the bottom. Turn and cook until the other surfaces are golden as well. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
3. Add the remaining oil to a wide pot, such as a Dutch oven. Turn the heat to high, add the onion, bell peppers, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown in places and a film appears on the bottom of the pot, after several minutes. Be sure to let the ingredients cook
without
stirring for ½-minute intervals so that they’ll brown. You can use this time to quarter the mushrooms and prepare the snow peas or broccoli.
4. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking, again stirring occasionally, until they are seared in places. Add 1 teaspoon salt and grind in plenty of black pepper. Once a number of the mushrooms have gained some color, stir in the sauce, scraping up the goodies from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, lay the tofu over the vegetables, and cover the pot. Cook for 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes add the tomatoes.
5. Blanch the snow peas or broccoli florets in boiling salted water.
6. Stir in the parsley and spoon the vegetables and their sauce over rice or noodles, adding the snow peas last.
Cheese,Chile, and Hot Pepper Tofu
SERVES 4 TO 6
I’ve borrowed widely here in an attempt to introduce some Louisiana flavors to tofu. This is not a lean dish, but it’s far more so than the recipe I started working from! Serve this over plain white rice. The recipe may look formidable, but it’s not at all difficult to put together
.
1 carton firm tofu, drained
•
The Seasoning Mix
2 teaspoons salt, plus extra to taste
1 teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour
•
The Vegetables
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, or more if needed
2 onions, diced into ½-inch squares
2 green bell peppers, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 long green chiles, such as Anaheims, roasted, seeded, and chopped
1 bay leaf
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2½ cups vegetable or chicken stock
½ cup sour cream
1 cup grated Muenster or Jack cheese Chopped parsley
4 to 6 cups cooked rice
1 . Press the tofu while you assemble the seasonings and prepare the vegetables. Then slice the tofu in half, parallel to the cutting board, but don’t separate the pieces. Cutting from the top, slice the tofu into 5 or 6 triangles. You’ll have a total of 10 or 12 pieces. Separate them and blot with a paper towel if they look damp in the center. Set aside 1 teaspoon of the seasoning mix and put the rest in a pie pan. Dip the tofu into the
.
The Sauce
2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons molasses or brown sugar
1 tablespoon mushroom soy, tamari, or regular soy sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¾ cup red wine
2 large garlic cloves, pressed
⅓ cup water
•
The Tofu and Vegetables
One carton regular or firm tofu, drained
5 teaspoons peanut oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, diced into ½-inch squares
1 red bell pepper, cut into large, irregular pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into large, irregular pieces
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
12 ounces mushrooms (mixed brown, white, and shiitake are good)
2 Roma tomatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups snow peas, broccoli florets, or other vegetable
¼ cup chopped parsley or cilantro
1. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
2. Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes. Heat a nonstick skillet and brush with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add the tofu and cook over medium-high heat until golden-brown on the bottom. Turn and cook until the other surfaces are golden as well. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
3. Add the remaining oil to a wide pot, such as a Dutch oven. Turn the heat to high, add the onion, bell peppers, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown in places and a film appears on the bottom of the pot, after several minutes. Be sure to let the ingredients cook
without
stirring for ½-minute intervals so that they’ll brown. You can use this time to quarter the mushrooms and prepare the snow peas or broccoli.
4. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking, again stirring occasionally, until they are seared in places. Add 1 teaspoon salt and grind in plenty of black pepper. Once a number of the mushrooms have gained some color, stir in the sauce, scraping up the goodies from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, lay the tofu over the vegetables, and cover the pot. Cook for 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes add the tomatoes.
5. Blanch the snow peas or broccoli florets in boiling salted water.
6. Stir in the parsley and spoon the vegetables and their sauce over rice or noodles, adding the snow peas last.
Cheese,Chile, and Hot Pepper Tofu
SERVES 4 TO 6
I’ve borrowed widely here in an attempt to introduce some Louisiana flavors to tofu. This is not a lean dish, but it’s far more so than the recipe I started working from! Serve this over plain white rice. The recipe may look formidable, but it’s not at all difficult to put together
.
1 carton firm tofu, drained
•
The Seasoning Mix
2 teaspoons salt, plus extra to taste
1 teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour
•
The Vegetables
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, or more if needed
2 onions, diced into ½-inch squares
2 green bell peppers, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 long green chiles, such as Anaheims, roasted, seeded, and chopped
1 bay leaf
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2½ cups vegetable or chicken stock
½ cup sour cream
1 cup grated Muenster or Jack cheese Chopped parsley
4 to 6 cups cooked rice
1 . Press the tofu while you assemble the seasonings and prepare the vegetables. Then slice the tofu in half, parallel to the cutting board, but don’t separate the pieces. Cutting from the top, slice the tofu into 5 or 6 triangles. You’ll have a total of 10 or 12 pieces. Separate them and blot with a paper towel if they look damp in the center. Set aside 1 teaspoon of the seasoning mix and put the rest in a pie pan. Dip the tofu into the
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