Barbecue or Bust

Tofu with Ancho-Guajillo Barbecue Sauce and Provencal Slaw

It being summer, I’ve been nursing a barbecue craving.  Although we’re city-bound and can’t actually barbecue anything, I could do the next best thing: tofu glazed with a spicy, sweet, sticky, chile-filled barbecue sauce.  On the side, I felt like a non-creamy slaw of shredded cabbage and red peppers.

This cookbook-packing thing is really starting to cramp my style, but fortunately I had previously posted my favorite sauce on a forum, so it didn’t matter that the book it came from is already in storage.  Amazingly, I had actually run out of the chipotles the recipe called for before the pantry clearance started.  Out of luck, you say?  Ha! What did I tell you parenthetically earlier about clearing out the entire chile section of Penzeys on my deliberately infrequent trips to the nearest boutique?  I have seven other kinds of whole dried chiles in stock, and we won’t even get into the powders, either individual or blends.  I just mixed anchos, guajillos and sun-dried tomatoes instead.

For the slaw, I drew inspiration from a Greek cabbage salad with olives that my mother makes now and then.  Wandering a little further up the Mediterranean, I dressed the cabbage and peppers with a vinaigrette of olive oil, lemon juice, tapenade, and herbes de Provence.

With no planning at all, this one dish expanded into a full-blown old-fashioned Saturday night barbecue dinner.  We had a little bit of leftover mac & cheese from mid-week and had bought corn at the market this morning, so we had the full complement of sides.  To beat the heat and use up our imperial-sized tea collection, I’ve been making daily batches of iced tea, and today’s beverage selection was an entirely appropriate English Breakfast with honey and key lime.  The only thing missing was peach cobbler or fruit salad, but I had leftovers from last night’s midnight snack, so who’s complaining?

In the pantry-clearing tally, I’m thrilled that the slaw used up the remainder of my bottle of Meyer lemon olive oil and left just enough tapenade for one batch of pasta with cherry tomatoes later this week, when I’ll need an instant dinner option.

Barbecue Tofu with Provencal Slaw
Serves 4-8

Slaw:
1 small or 1/2 large green cabbage, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
3/4 cup lemon-infused olive oil or extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons tapenade or finely diced olives (real ones, not the California canned ones, please)
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence, crushed well in your palm
Salt and pepper to taste

Tofu:
1 12-oz block of firm tofu
Oil for pan-frying
Salt
Barbecue sauce (see below)

Mix the cabbage and peppers in a large bowl until the peppers are evenly distributed.

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, tapenade or olives, herbs, salt and pepper in a smaller bowl and taste, correcting acidity, salt, pepper and herbs as needed.

Toss the cabbage and peppers with half the dressing, adding more if required to coat the vegetables well.  Let marinate for 1 hour before serving.

Drain the tofu from its liquid, and slice crosswise into 8 slices.  Pat each slice thoroughly dry with paper towels.  Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat, and add the tofu slices, salting lightly.  When the tofu is dark golden and crisp on the bottom, flip, salt again, and cook until the other side is equally browned.

Drain the tofu briefly on paper towels, then brush generously on all sides with the barbecue sauce.

Serve 1-2 tofu slices per person, with the slaw on the side.

Notes:

If you do have a barbecue, or a range hood with decent suction (as I do not), the tofu would be all the better for grilling outdoors or on a grill pan first. I wouldn’t brush it with the sauce before grilling, since the high sugar content would cause all manner of ugly sticking and burning.

—-

Ancho-Guajillo Barbecue Sauce
Makes 1 cup

4 sun-dried tomatoes (the actual dry kind, not sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil)
1 guajillo chile, seeded
1 ancho chile, seeded
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce

Using scissors, snip the chiles into strips and place in a heat-safe bowl with the tomatoes.  Cover with boiling water and let sit until rehydrated and soft, 15-30 minutes.

Drain the tomatoes and chiles, reserving the liquid.  With an immersion blender or in a regular blender, blend the tomatoes and chiles with enough soaking liquid to form a thick paste.  Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Sauce will keep, well covered, for several weeks in the refrigerator.

Notes:

This amount is much more than you’ll need for one block of tofu, but it keeps really well and is great to have around for basting vegetables, tempeh, seitan, or, if your an omnivore, chicken or pork.  If you don’t think you’ll use it all, the recipe can be cut in half easily.  Conversely, it can be scaled up at will if you’re throwing a block party or familly reunion.

Two relatively mild chiles makes a gently spicy sauce.  If you like your sauce spicier, feel free to add more or hotter chiles, or don’t seed them.  I gave serious consideration to including one or two of the cascabels I also had in my chile bin, and I’ll probably do that next time.

You could use these basic ratios to go in an Asian direction instead, swapping the ketchup for hoisin sauce, the dried Mexican chiles for some Chinese chile paste with garlic (or, if you’re feeling recklessly self-destructive, a couple of rehydrated Tien Tsin peppers or some wasabi), and the olive oil for peanut or sesame.  A little fresh grated ginger would also be nice.

With apologies to whoever the author of the original recipe was, a credit will have to wait until I can dig the cookbook out of storage, which will be at least a year from now.

Read Full Post »

Another Legitimate Thirty-Minute Meal: Nappa Cabbage Slaw with Tofu

Contrary to the impression created by that tag cloud to your right, I do not subsist entirely on cookies.

In an effort to show that I’m not just about sweets, this was our quick, refreshing and easy middle-of-the-week dinner tonight. It was thrown together in all of fifteen minutes, because the baked tofu was store-bought and the carrot dressing was left over from Monday’s arugula salad. Still, even with making the dressing from scratch and simply pan-frying some plain tofu with a splash of soy and a sprinkle of seasoning, you’ll still be well under the half-hour mark on this one.

The carrot dressing, the same kind you frequently get on salads in Japanese restaurants, is sweet and substantial enough to act almost as a second vegetable. You could add any other embellishments you like, but it’s been so insufferably hot that I have barely wanted to eat, let alone cook, and this kind of plainness is exactly what I was looking for. With the tofu, it’s a full meal for a summer day, but without the tofu it would be a great side dish for heartier fare in less oppressive weather.

Nappa Cabbage Slaw with Carrot Dressing and Tofu
Serves 4

1 head nappa cabbage
1/2 pound of carrots (approx 3 medium or 6 small), peeled
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons grated ginger
3 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic scapes or 1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1/2 cup grapeseed or other mild-flavored oil
4 oz baked seasoned tofu
1/4 cup sesame seeds

Roughly chop the carrots and place in a blender with the water, vinegar, ginger, scapes or shallot, soy, sherry and sesame oil. Blend until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the oil slowly to form an emulsion.

In a dry frying pan over medium-high heat, toast the sesame seeds, stirring or tossing frequently, until golden. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature while finishing the salad.

Thinly slice the tofu into strips.

Finely shred the cabbage and toss with enough dressing to generously coat but not drown the greens. Dish into shallow bowls, top with the tofu, and sprinkle heavily with the sesame seeds.

Read Full Post »

Another Legitimate Thirty-Minute Meal: Roasted Asparagus Salad

In my ongoing valiant quest to present legitimately quick, easy, delicious and nutritious meals, here is what His Lordship and I had for dinner last night, courtesy of our Saturday trip to the farmer’s market, where the signs of spring are truly undeniable, as evidenced by the asparagus, radishes, baby greens, scallions, rhubarb, early tomatoes and fresh herbs we picked up. I also stopped by my favorite cheesemonger and picked up some of the lovely and sharp Canadian cheddar he recommended a while ago during a side-by-side tasting with several imports from the UK, during which the Canadian stuff beautifully held its own while costing half the price.

By the time we’d gotten the goods home, we’d already decided to roast the asparagus, and I decided to combine it with the salad we’d also planned to have instead of serving it on the side. Because radishes can be peppery and a little bitter, His Lordship suggested a sweeter dressing, so I threw together a basic honey-mustard vinaigrette, which worked very well with all the components. The cheese shavings on top were not only decorative but gave a nice sharp-but-smooth contrast to the sweetness of the asparagus and the dressing and the crispness of the radishes, to say nothing of adding some extra protein.

This is a really delicious, satisfying, and pretty salad which would make a very nice first course as well as a light main course.

Roasted Asparagus, Radish and Canadian Cheddar Salad
Serves 4 as first course, or 2 as main course

2 bunches asparagus
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons dijon or other smooth European-style mustard
2 tablespoons clover or other light-flavored honey
Salt and pepper
1/3-1/2 cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons-1/4 cup sherry vinegar
2 large scallions, white parts only, or 1 shallot, minced

4-6 cups mixed baby greens, washed and thoroughly dried
1 small bunch radishes, finely sliced
The reserved green tops of the scallions, sliced
2 oz Canadian or other sharp, aged dry cheddar, finely shaved

Preheat oven to 425 F. Clean asparagus and use a vegetable peeler to peel away the tough and woody outer layer on the end of each stalk, or bend each stalk gently until the tough lower portion snaps off, saving those parts for soup. Toss the spears with the olive oil, salt and pepper, and lay in a single layer in oven-proof dish. Roast the asparagus uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until easily pierced with a sharp knife, but not so long that it loses its bright green color and becomes mushy. Once the asparagus is cooked, remove from the oven and cut each stalk into two or three smaller segments.

While the asparagus is roasting, combine the mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a bowl, stirring with a small whisk or a fork until thoroughly combined. Slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream, stirring briskly to emulsify. Once the oil has been incorporated, add the minced scallion and drizzle in the vinegar.

In a large bowl, toss the greens, radishes, scallion tops and asparagus with salt and pepper, then add half the vinaigrette and toss, tasting to see if it’s sufficiently dressed. If not, add the remaining vinaigrette to taste and toss again. Divide the salad between plates, and sprinkle over the cheddar shavings before serving.

Notes: Parmesan, gruyere, or another sharp and dry cheese should work equally well here. If you’re not a vegetarian, poached or roasted chicken or duck, or perhaps even pork, would be a good addition to round out the salad into a complete meal.

Read Full Post »

Another Legitimate Thirty Minute Meal: Southwestern Lentil Salad

Since I’m trying to get back into the swing of cooking, despite still not having as much time for it as I’d like, tonight’s experimental dinner was particularly gratifying. When I got home, all I had decided was that I wanted to do something with lentils, but by the time I was finished adding components, I had a dinner that was easy, quick, nutritious, and most importantly, really delicious. The richness of the lentils and the avocado, the crunch of the cucumber and green onion, the sweetness of the tomatoes, the tang of the lemon, and the sharpness of the spices and cilantro all combined beautifully into a simple but flavorful southwest-ish whole. In addition to making a very satisfactory dinner, I think this will be a great addition to the summer barbecue season.

Southwestern Lentil Salad
Serves 4 as a main dish, and at least six as a side dish

1 cup black lentils
2 garlic cloves
1/2 an English cucumber, diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
3 scallions, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of one large lemon
Salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, diced

Place the lentils and garlic in a small saucepan, and cover generously with water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer vigorously until the lentils are tender, but not mushy.

In the meantime, combine the cucumber, tomatoes, scallions, oil, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, and salt and pepper in a large bowl, and leave to marinate until the lentils are cooked. Once the lentils are ready, drain thoroughly and add to the bowl, tossing to combine. Taste and correct the seasonings as necessary, then add the diced avocado, stirring gently to avoid mashing it.

Notes: You could use any kind of lentil here, but I favor the black or green varieties over ordinary brown lentils when I’m making salads, because they keep their shape much better. If you would like to make it ahead, it should keep very well in the refrigerator for quite some time, but I would not add the avocado until the last minute, since it begins to brown very quickly after being cut open.

Read Full Post »