Now that the Kent Farmers Market is in full swing, we’ve been getting some great produce from the vendors — in this case, the bok choy, which was steamed, seared in a wok and topped with sesame seeds.
We dug deep into the cookbook library for the mustard glaze (adapted from “Japanese Cuisine” John D. Keys / 1965)
Mustard Glazed Tofu with Daikon and Shiso
Mustard Sauce
3 tbs. sherry
2 tbs. tamari
1 tbs. agave
1 tbs. mustard*
Whisk together, reserve.
* We used mustard seeds, ground with a mortar and pestle. But if you want to use Dijon mustard out of a jar, we won’t tell anyone. 
Shredded Daikon
1 small daikon, shredded on a box grater (yields about 1/2 cup)
1 tsp. mirin
2 tbs. rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. tamari
2 tbs. water
Whisk together the mirin, rice vinegar, tamari and water. Add the daikon to a small bowl and pour the mixture over the shredded daikon. Stir to incorporate and let sit for 30 minutes. Reserve.
Tea-Smoked Tofu
16oz. of tofu cut into 8 squares
1 tbs. oolong tea
1 tbs. canola oil
1 tbs. tamari
Add the oolong tea to the bottom of the prepared smoker box. Alternately, use a foil lined wok with chopsticks inside, used as grates. Here’s an old shot before we had the smoker box to demonstrate.
Smoke the tofu squares with oolong tea for 25 minutes.
In a wok, add the canola oil on medium-high heat and fry the tofu until golden brown on both sides. Add the tamari and toss the tofu to coat evenly.
Pour the reserved mustard sauce over the tofu, and continue to cook and turn the tofu until the sauce reduces to a glaze.
Plate the tofu and garnish with grated daikon and shiso leaves.
Still working on the ramen — Liz scored some water chestnuts to add, and the broth inched closer to our son’s ideal version.
Tofu alla Grappa, Fennel Risotto
We decided to break out the vacuum-sealer again, after finding a bottle of grappa hiding in the back of the cabinet.
It’s the same technique as the Tofu L’Orange, with the same excellent results.
Tofu alla Grappa
16oz extra-firm tofu
The block of extra-firm tofu was cut into six cutlets and smoked with apple wood for 25 minutes.
marinade
1/4 cup grappa
pinch of salt and pepper
In a small pan, reduce the grappa by half to 2 tbs. and remove from heat.
Place the smoked tofu in a single layer in a vacuum-sealer bag, add the marinade and process. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
Remove from the bag and cut a slit in the side of each tofu cutlet, being careful not to poke through the edges.
Pan-fry the tofu in olive oil over medium-high heat until golden brown (about 4-5 minutes per side). Add a splash of tamari to evenly coat and cook the tofu for an additional minute. Remove and keep warm.
filling/sauce
olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1 tbs. tarragon, minced
1 tbs. parsley, minced
1 1/2 cups of grapes, cut in half
In the same pan, add a little more oil and sweat the shallots and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the tarragon and parsley, stir to combine (If you want to throw and additional shot of grappa in the sauce at this point we won’t tell). Add the grapes and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Remove half of the mixture and gently place inside the slit in the tofu. Puree the other half in a blender or use a immersion blender for a more “rustic” look, check for seasoning, reserve and keep warm.
Place the stuffed tofu on a sheet pan and bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes.
Serve hot topped with the sauce over the fennel risotto.
Raw Food Wednesday 4/22
Red Bell Pepper Empanadas
White Asparagus
Gazpacho Shooter with Baby Cucumbers
Mixed Micro Greens Salad
Strawberry Pie
Utilizing more of the bounty from Farmer Lee Jones…
The red bell pepper empanadas use the tortilla recipe (below), stuffed with greens, cashew cheese, scallions, walnut taco filling and diced tomatoes. The white asparagus was trimmed, peeled, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and dehydrated for 2 hours @ 105F. They retain some of the crunch, but are very tasty…
Red Pepper Tortillas
(makes approximately 8 tortillas)
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup water
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. nama shoyu
1 jalapeño, diced
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
1 tsp. fresh ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Soak the flax seeds with the water and let sit for 15 minutes. Put the flax seeds and the rest of the ingredients into the Vita-Mix and process on high until smooth — this will tax the machine, but that’s why you bought it in the first place.
Spread out the mixture into 7″ rounds with an offset spatula and dehydrate around an hour on 105F. Carefully flip the tortillas and dehydrate for an additional 30 minutes or so. Take a peak at this point to make sure they’re not too dry — you want them flexible enough so you can roll them later. You can make these a day in advance and store in the fridge if needed.
The gazpacho shooters (tomato, red bell pepper, cucumber, onion, garlic, nama shoyu, lime juice, olive oil) were brightened by the addition of the colorful baby cucumbers. They were almost too cute to eat. Almost
If the shooters aren’t enough to quench your thirst, we also made a larger bowl, adorned with a cucumber slice and a popcorn shoot. The best way to describe the popcorn shoot is that it tastes mildly like corn for the first 5-7 seconds, and then you’re hit with an almost candy-like sweetness… really unique and fun!
The baby radishes were served as a crudite with a little sea salt to dip them in and then they were eaten whole — the green tops were extremely tender with just a hint of radish bite.
The strawberry pie used a quick almond/cashew/brazil nut/salt/agave crust pressed into a tart mold, layered with sliced strawberries and a little extra raw agave, which was then chilled for a few hours.
Vege Island