Veggin’

Tofu puffs! Where have you been all my life?

About a week ago, I stumbled upon a huge case of tofu products at my local international store. Nestled in with all the different kinds of tofu, I found an intriguing package labeled “soy puffs”.

I quickly snatched up a package but realized as soon as I got home I had no idea what to do with them.  Apparently they work well in stews and soups because the puffs tend to suck up the flavor of liquid. With that knowledge in hand,  I came up with the recipe for Asian Style Tofu Puffs with Green Beans and Snap Peas.  The crispy green beans, snap peas and green onions from our CSA delivery worked perfectly with the puffs.

The really great taste paired with the no-fuss preparation make tofu puffs something I could easily get addicted to. However, based on the nutritional value of these puffs, I’m going to have to classify them as a “sometimes food”. But, what a great discovery!

Asian Style Tofu Puffs with Green Beans and Snap Peas
by Megabeth

• 1 5oz package refrigerated tofu/soy puffs
• 1 pound green beans, trimmed
• 2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 2 green onions, white parts diced - slice some of the green for garnish
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 Tablespoon, sesame oil
• 3 Tablespoons tamari or low sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Add soy puffs and blanch for 3-4 minutes. (Use a spoon to dunk the puffs as they have a tendency to float to the surface.) Once heated through, drain thoroughly and set aside.

In a wok or a pan with high sides, add sesame oil and heat on medium high. Once oil is hot, add garlic and the chopped white parts of the green onion. Cook until they soften and begin to brown.

In a small bowl, combine tamari and rice wine vinegar. Add green beans and snap peas to the wok then add the tamari mixture. Stir fry until the vegetables are mostly cooked through - about 4 - 5 minutes. Add the tofu to the pan, then add the vegetable broth. Stir to coat everything with the sauce in the pan. Reduce heat to low and allow to cook until tofu puffs soften.

In a small bowl, add the corn starch plus one tablespoon water. Stir to make a thick paste. Push the vegetables to the side and add cornstarch to the vegetable broth at the bottom of the pan to thicken the sauce. Mix to coat the vegetables and tofu. Let cook another 1 or 2 minutes.

Once plated, drizzle with some of the sauce and sprinkle with green onions and toasted sesame seeds.

Another delivery and another great crop of vegetables. But, really, can we stop with the green onions? Holy molies. My vegetable drawer runneth over with green onions!

We received a great fresh thyme plant. (I’m sad to report that the parsley from a couple of weeks ago may not be doing so well.) We received some more broccoli and snap peas. We also received our first beets of the season. I’m looking forward to cooking some of those!

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival has taken over the Mall in downtown Washington DC and, once again, it doesn’t disappoint. The festival seeks to increase awareness of various cultures and traditions through exhibits, presentations, performance, demonstrations and, best of all, food. This year, Wales was the featured nation. Flanagan’s Harp and Fiddle has a food tent set up with several menu items that are suitable for vegetarians…including a vegetarian Glamorgan sausage.

According to a more detailed menu,

Glamorgan sausages, traditionally made as a way to make use of stale bread and leftover cheese, are now a staple of Welsh menus. After adding onion or leek, a little mustard, and a beaten egg for moisture, the mixture is molded into sausage shapes, dipped in breadcrumbs, and fried. Served with a pickle or chutney, Glamorgan sausages are enjoyed by vegetarians and meat lovers alike.

The Glamorgan sausage was quite good and served nice and hot. The crisp outside protected a soft core. Make no mistake, this was not made to mimic an actual sausage as it is quite bready. As an afternoon snack, it tasted quite good and I must now figure out how to make it. I must also find some of the Tomos Watkin’s beer. It paired perfectly with the meal.

The Folklife Festival is free of charge and runs until July 5, 2009.

This is an easy, throw together recipe that only requires two major ingredients and a fully loaded spice cabinet. You can, of course, get creative on the spices but this can give you an idea of where to start.

Eggplant in Spicy Yogurt Sauce
by Megabeth

1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Yogurt Sauce
1 cup plain yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
canola oil spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

For the spice rub, combine all spices in a small bowl.

Spread some aluminum foil on a baking sheet. Place eggplants on sheet and spray one side with canola spray.

Sprinkle some of the spice rub on each eggplant. Flip eggplant over and repeat with canola spray and spices.

Bake until golden brown or cooked to your preferred “doneness” - about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine yogurt and the rest of spices.

Drizzle on cooked eggplant and serve.

The tartness of the lime juice and the spiciness of the chilies makes this a unique way to serve potatoes. About a year ago, I purchased a chopper/dicer thing that makes chopping go so much faster.  By using that gizmo, I was able to prep this dish in no time flat. What made it even faster was the fact that I still had some leftover romesco sauce that I used instead of tomato sauce.

Saucy Lime Potatoes
Summer Cookery
Rohini Singh

• 6 largish potatoes, boiled, peeled, and cubed
• 2 tablespoons butter, preferably unsalted
• 1/2-3/4 teaspoons black pepper, preferably freshly ground
• 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander (I used cumin instead)
• 1-2 green chillies, finely chopped
• juice of 1 lime
• salt to taste

Gently melt the butter in a pan.

Add all the ingredients except the potatoes and lime juice. Stir and cook until the fat separates. This takes only a few minutes.

Add the potatoes and stir to coat each well. Fry for 5-7 minutes and longer if you like them crisper.

Add the lime juice and stir to coat evenly.

The original recipe by Madhur Jaffrey was broccoli with walnut sauce. But, due to a walnut allergy in this house, I switched the walnuts with pecans. It came out great. The broccoli was from my weekly CSA delivery so it was crisp and fresh. The pecan sauce nuttiness seem to bring out even more of the broccoli’s   natural flavors.

Broccoli with Pecan Sauce
Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian

6 well-packed cups broccoli florets, blanched (1 large broccoli head. See blanching instructions below)
1/2 cup whole pecans
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup vegetable stock

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Put in the pecans and let them boil rapidly for 3 minutes, drain.

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and stock in a blender.

Crumble the walnuts and add them as well.

Blend, pushing down with a rubber spatula when needed, until you have a smooth paste. Makes about 1 cup. If the sauce seems too thick, just save a tablespoon or two of the water used for cooking the broccoli and thin it out.

Blanching broccoli (from Mahdur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian): The is one of the fasted methods of cooking this vegetable.

Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons salt and stir. Put in the broccoli florets and let the water come to a boil again.

Boil, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the broccoli is just tender. Drain. Either use immediately (the broccoli is at its best now) or rinse under cold water to preserve its color, drain, and set aside for later use.

Put the drained broccoli in a serving dish. Pour the sauce over the top, toss gently, and serve immediately.

My CSA delivery arrived today. But, ok, come on, stop with the green onions, please? I still have two weeks worth of the suckers and I’ve yet to use them. Is there such a thing as green onion stew? Hmmm. Research is needed.

Meanwhile, the broccoli looks oh-so-good, the kale is fresh and healthy, and the snap peas are really cute. (Yes, I just called snap peas cute.) The red tip lettuce looks so delightfully ready to eat and I’m thrilled to receive little parsley plant. I hope I can make it thrive.

Heads up: This recipe takes a little bit of work. (However, I have a small kitchen so I’m not sure if most of the labor came from me having to try to find counter space and or if it was truly a lot of steps.) This recipe requires broiling, roasting, mashing, soaking, toasting, blending, chopping and more. But, man, is the work worth it. The roasted goodness of the onion and tomatoes, the zing of the red wine vinegar and the smokiness of the ancho chilies creates a deeply flavored sauce. This sauce is so versatile that it is going to be poured over pasta, vegetables and anything else I find for the next week. I just need to remember to save enough to freeze so I can enjoy it at another time.

Classic Romesco Sauce
Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian

• 2 medium onions, peeled but left whole
• 8 to 10 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 3 large very ripe tomatoes
• 3 dried ancho chilies
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 5 tablespoons blanched slivered almonds
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 3/4 teaspoons salt

Turn on the broiler. Spread the onions garlic, and tomatoes on a baking tray lined with aluminum foil.

Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for 5 to 7 minutes, turning the onions, garlic, and tomatoes as the outsides char. The garlic will get done first. Remove the garlic cloves and continue for another 10 minutes or so until the onions and tomatoes are also browned on all sides. Remove the tomatoes at this stage.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake the onions for 25 to 35 minutes, or until they have softened all the way to the inside. Meanwhile, remove the stems and seeds of the ancho chilies by cutting the tops off and shaking out as many seeds as possible.

Put the chilies in a small pot along with the vinegar and 1/4 cup of water and bring to a boil.

Cover the pot, turn the heat down to low, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until all the chiles are soft. Turn the heat off. Let the ancho mixture sit, covered, for another 5 minutes, or until the peppers are very soft. Cool slightly in the liquid, then remove the peppers from the liquid and peel away the skin. (If the skin does not peel easily, leave it; it will come off later. ) Remove any seeds that are still clinging to the flesh. Save any vinegar left in the pot.

Put the tomatoes and ancho chilies into a coarse sieve set over a bowl. Using your fingers or a wooden spoon, push out as much pulp as possible. Make sure you collect all the pulp on the underside of the sieve as well.

Put the almonds in a small cast-iron pan and set over medium heat. Stir the almonds quickly for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool, then grind to a fine powder in a clean spice grinder. (Note: I do not have a spice grinder, so I put the almonds in my food processor.)

When the onions are very tender, remove them from the oven and discard the charred outer layer. Chop them coarsely. Peel the garlic cloves.

Put the ancho-tomato mixture, onions, garlic, ground almonds, oil, leftover vinegar, if any, and salt into a blender.

Blend to a puree. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

I think I’m in love with these tacos. Why? Well, although they are made with such simple ingredients they are packed with complex textures and flavors. They are made with a smear of mashed potatoes, sprinkled with red pepper cheese, and a dash of diced red pepper. Be prepared to  make a bit of a mess deep frying the corn tortillas, but it’s worth it. Once cooked, these Oaxaca Tacos are a perfect match with black bean stew and a little dollop of lime creme fraiche. Now, I just have to figure out how to pronounce “Oaxaca” correctly…

Oaxaca Tacos
from Cafe Flora Cookbook

1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and quartered (approx 3 large potatoes)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded, smoked mozzarella cheese (2 ounces)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
(I used a pre-shredded, four cheese Mexican mix)
Big pinch red pepper flakes
Vegetable oil for preparing tortillas
8 thin corn tortillas (I had enough to fill 10 tortillas)
1 small red or green bell pepper, seeds removed and cut into fine dice
toothpicks

Lime Creme Fraiche
1/2 cup creme fraiche (I used greek yogurt)
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zet
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Pinch of salt

In a small bowl, thoroughly mix the creme fraiche, lime zest and juice, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Prepare tacos.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (Note: I preheated the oven after I finished cooking the potatoes.)

Put the potatoes in a pot with water to cover. Cook them, covered, until tender, 20 to 40 minutes. (The time depends on the size of the chunks.)

Drain the potatoes well, and mash with the butter and salt. Cool completely.

In a small bowl, mix the cheese with the red pepper flakes, and set aside.

Heat 1/4 inch oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, put a tortilla in the hot oil and fry until it is soft, 8 to 10 seconds; flip and repeat with the other side. Do not let the tortilla get crisp by letting the oil bubble up around its edges; reduce the heat to medium-low or low if this occurs. (It’s important for the tortillas to be oil so they get crisp when roasted in the oven.)

Put the tortilla on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Continue to heat tortillas, piling them one atop each other under the foil cover. (Keep the tortillas warm so they’re pliable enough to stuff and roll without breaking.)

Place each tortilla on a flat surface.

Using a 1/3-cup measure, put a scoop of mashed potatoes in the middle of each tortilla.

Pat the potatoes with your hand to flatten them a little.

Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the bell pepper…

and 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture.

Roll the tortilla into a large tube so both edges overlap (but the end s are still open), and fasten with 1 or 2 wooden picks as if you were sewing with them.

(Ok, in the spirit of full disclosure,  I should have “sewed” the tortillas parallel to the fold because when these tacos cook they expand a bit; thus, busting the whole taco open. Most made it out ok, but a few still opened up but they were easy to close again.)

Put the filled tortillas in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet, toothpicks facing up. Bake until the cheese has melted and the tortillas start to brown and crisp around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve the tortillas by puting 1/2 cup of the Black Bean Stew on  a plate. Remove the toothpicks from the tacos. Drizzle 1 or 2 tablespoons of the Lime Creme Fraiche over the tacos, and top with a tablespoon of feta. (Feel free to also throw some chipotle salsa on the plate and some greens drizzled with fresh lime juice and olive oil.)

This is a very simple stew that I served with Oaxaca Tacos.The recipe comes from the Cafe Flora cookbook, but I will transcribe it here how I prepared it. For example, the original recipe gives instructions on what to do if you are using dried beans. I used canned instead. I omitted the cilantro and used flat leaf parsley. I also reduced the amount of salt. Finally, I cooked the stew in my cast iron skillet rather than in a pot.

The result? A stew that my in-house taste tester declared tasted like the “inside of a taco.” Not bad considering it was for a tex-mex meal I was preparing. This is a great condiment to a larger meal or a standalone dish served in a tortilla, on top of pasta, or eaten straight out of a bowl with a spoon.

Black Bean Stew
Adapted from the Cafe Flora Cookbook

Makes about 3 cups

1 15-oz can black beans (about 2 cups cooked)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped (used in place of cilantro)
1/2 teaspoon curshed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground (I used 1 t cumin powder)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional: 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar (I did not include this, but may the next time I make this)

Rinse black beans under cold water. Place beans in cast iron skillet with one cup of water.

Add remaining ingredients and spices. Stir to combine.

Heat stew on medium high until simmering. Reduce heat to llow and let cook for at least 15 minutes to let the flavors blend. Add more water if a more “soupier” consistency is desired.