Veeegs: October 2006 Archives

Its getting cold, well, cold for Los Angeles. And this week all we could think about was seared tofu drenched in a thick sauce. Traditionally, Steak Diane is made with butter, Wooster sauce and...beef. For this recipe, we subbed Wooster for a maple mustard balsamic reduction with a hefty helping of fresh tarragon at the end. Grab your scarves.

Tofu Diane
1 block of extra firm tofu
1 Tsp. sugar
2 Tsp. salt
2 Tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tsp. celery seeds
1 Tsp. dry thyme
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs. maple syrup
4 large shallots diced
2 Tbs. mustard
1⁄4 cup vegetable stock
2 Tbs. cornstarch
4 Tbs. fresh tarragon
1 Tbs. salt
1 Tbs. ground pepper

1. Slice your tofu lengthwise down the center, wrap in paper towels and press with a phone book to extract water. Combine the sugar, salt and dry spices in a bowl and mix. Remove the tofu from its soggy encasing, pat dry with a towel, and liberally rub with the spice mix.

2. Heat a medium saucepan on high heat, then add the olive oil and let it heat for two minutes before adding the tofu. Start by searing the sides of the tofu first: Simply hold each block in your hand and press into the pan until caramelized. Sear all sides of the tofu, and then lower the heat to medium, and set the bricks aside.

3. Immediately add the balsamic vinegar, and the maple syrup. As it reduces, scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any spices left over from the tofu. Wait about 2 minutes and add the shallots and the mustard. Make a slurry by mixing the cornstarch and a little bit to of the vegetable stock. Add the rest of the stock when the balsamic has reduced by half. Now mix in the tarragon, salt and pepper and the slurry. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for five minutes.

4. Slice the tofu diagonally and enrobe with the sauce. Serve with roasted vegetables, or a salad of fresh sprouts and arugala.

Beverage: He'brew's: R.I.P.A
Soundtrack: The Supremes' "Ultimate Collection"

It's rumored that Queen Elizabeth I started every day with a hunk of Stilton and a tankard of strong English ale. For that dear old battleaxe, beer was just for breakfast. With this super simple flapjack recipe, it'll be beer o'clock before noon for you too.

And there's more to come with this recipe, because a dear fellow traveler of ours, stationed in Taipei, tells us that in Taiwan you can buy a pancakes with a fried egg and chili from a truck on just about every corner. Like it's a taco or something. So, look for a non-vegan version of this recipe soon.

Beer Cakes
2 envelopes dry yeast
2 cups flour
1/2 cup, plus 1 tsp white sugar
1.5 teaspoon baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 cups, plus one splash Stone Levitation Ale
3 Tbs. warm vegan butter
1.5 cups diced scallions
1/2 cup minced parsley

1. Activate the yeast by mixing 1/8 cup warm water, a splash of beer, and one Tsp. of sugar in a small bowl. Stir, cover, and set aside for ten minutes.

2. Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Gently whisk in the Levitation and the vegan butter.

3. Check your yeast. If it looks like a baby blob out of control, whisk it into the batter. Add Scallions and parsley and cover. Let the batter sit for ten minutes.

4. Heat a large skillet and grease it with vegetable oil. Dump 1/3 cup globs of batter onto your pan, flipping them when they start to bubble on top.

5. Serve with maple syrup, alongside other breakfast treasures.

Beverage: Stone Levitation, and lots of them
Soundtrack: The Velvet Underground's Sunday Morning.

As veggie cooks, we've struggled for years with how to best fry up our friend the bean curd without needing our other friend the chicken egg. An egg wash instantly lends a stickiness needed to fully coat the tofu with flour. Without it, attaining a crispy tofu skin is all but impossible. Until now.

For this easy tofu recipe we substituted the egg with honey (of course!) and the result is a perfectly sticky, deliciously golden crispy, fried tofu. Now for those vegans who refuse to participate in the caged life of the honey bee, we're sorry, we can't help you.

Honey Fried Tofu
1/2 block extra firm tofu
2 Tbs. honey
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup vegetable oil

1. Press your tofu by wrapping paper towels and placing a heavy plate or phone book on top. Turn after 10 minutes and repeat. Dump excess water. Cut your tofu into 4 fat square pieces.

2. Place your flour onto a deep plate and squeeze honey into a large bowl. Rub each piece of tofu into the honey, coating all sides, and pat it with flour until fully coated.

3. Add the frying oil to a deep pan on high heat. After 5 minutes add tofu and watch carefully so as not to burn. Flip every couple of minutes. Once nicely brown, remove from oil and set on paper towels. Let your oil cool before disposing (save 2 Tbs. for the sauce).

Soy Honey Glaze
1 handful green beans
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
8-10 crimini mushrooms, quartered
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. hoisin or Chinese barbecue sauce
1 Tbs. honey

1. Steam your green beans over a rolling boil for 5-10 minues.

2. Place a small saucepan on high heat. Add your leftover vegetable oil with the mushrooms and garlic. Stir thoroughly. Remove your green beans from heat and cut them into 1/2 inch pieces. Add them to the saucepan.

3. Then add soy sauce, hoisin or Chinese barbecue sauce, and a drizzle of honey. Let the sauce bubble for 5 minutes.

4. Serve with a serving of brown rice. Stack the tofu pieces on top of rice and smother it with the glaze sauce.

Beverage: Brown rice tea with splash of bourbon
Soundtrack: Jesus and Mary Chain's "Just Like Honey" on repeat