I simmered the grits in well-seasoned vegetable stock till thick. I then stirred in some shredded cheddar Sheese along with a small Earth Balance and transferred it to some baking dish to awesome. The subsequent day, I cut it into triangles, arranged them on the baking sheet, and baked them till warm.
For any topping, I sautéed minced garlic in olive oil and then additional a tumble of gorgeous small tomatoes that I picked up at the farmer’s marketplace. The colors of the tomatoes ranged from yellow, to orange, to red — so quite! I additional some parsley from my garden and sautéed the tomatoes just for any couple of seconds, essentially just lengthy sufficient to coat them with the garlicky olive oil. Following adding a little of salt and some cracked pepper, I spooned the tomatoes more than the yummy yellow triangles.
The flavor was incomparable, and I particularly enjoyed understanding it was created with nearby elements. Does that make me a “locovore herbivore”?
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.
Vege Island