Barbeque Tofu

After I met Butler, and we were becoming friends, we quickly bonded over the subject of food. I always love meeting and talking with people who are as passionate about food as I am. As we discussed recipes, methods, likes and dislikes, I once told him I don't eat organ meat. Being the rascal that he is, he turned it around and would tell people, "Rocquie has never had an organ in her mouth", which he still thinks is so funny!

Butler thought tofu to be icky and I loved teasing him by talking about delicious ways to prepare it. As he would tell me about hunks of meat he was smoking and grilling, I would talk about how delicious barbeque tofu is.

Then one day, he asked me if I would bring barbeque tofu to the SuperBowl party he was hosting at his fabulous Bed and Breakfast. I felt flattered, not only to be invited to his party, but to be asked to bring such a dish.

Because I learned that about 50 people would be in attendance, I bought 10 pounds of tofu and made a huge batch of barbeque sauce. I took the platter of barbecue tofu into the party, parked it on the table, laden with all kinds of delicious food, and never said a word about what it was, nor did Butler. I watched people eating it. I saw one woman go back for seconds and tell her companion to try it. He ate a bite and asked, "What is it?" to which she replied, "Pork, I think". Tee hehe.

Barbeque Tofu
1 pound extra firm tofu
1 cup (approx) barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and oil a baking sheet. Drain the tofu and gently squeeze dry with a kitchen towel. Cut the tofu into bite size pieces and place, close together, on the baking sheet. Brush all over with barbeque sauce. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the tofu and brush with more sauce. Bake for 10 more minutes, turn and brush with sauce. Repeat this process for about 1 hour, turning and basting every 10 minutes, until the tofu is well carmelized with the sauce, chewy on the outside, and tender inside.

I will be making it for Butler's SuperBowl party again this year, but now everyone knows what it is.

Cheese Crackers

Here is one of the more low brow food items to emerge from my kitchen. Saltine crackers have had something of a renaissance with me in the past couple of years. They were once banned due to their lack of nutrition. My figure can't afford eating empty calories. But I also know there is a lot more to food than simple nourishment.

It all started when a coworker and I went to lunch at a nearby diner. The kind of diner with some age on it, where the waitresses call you darlin'. Not one of those retro-themed diners, no this is the real deal, an old timey, been there forever diner. The waitress brought me a couple of those little cellophane packets holding 2 saltine crackers each, along with an individually wrapped pat of butter, to go along with my iceberg lettuce with French dressing salad. At that moment, those crackers smeared with butter tasted so good and perfect with the crispy salad.

And so, I declared the humble saltine cracker "nutrition neutral", and welcomed it back into my life. I had forgotten how darn tasty they can be with peanut butter. I turned them into cheese crackers which are very difficult to stop eating once started. They are so light and crispy and super simple to make.

Cheese Crackers
2 sleeves saltine crackers
1/2 stick melted butter
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
Cayenne pepper

Place the crackers, salted side up, in single layers on baking sheets. Brush with melted butter, then spread the cheese evenly over the tops. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper, to taste. Place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly, but not brown. Remove the trays and turn the oven to 180 degrees. Bake the crackers for 2 hours until very crispy and light.

I have made these with whole grain crackers--always searching for the nutritional bang for the buck, and also a variety of cheeses. They just don't work as well. In fact, those bags of grated cheese, which I typically reject, work best. Whatever it is they put on the cheese to keep it from sticking together, works great here.

Super Food - Gomasio

For Weekend Cook and Tell: Superfoods, I made Gomasio, which is a Japanese condiment made from sesame seeds and sea salt. Sesame seeds are one of the super foods, and are an excellent source of many beneficial minerals, amino acids, and a good source of dietary fiber. Sesame seeds add a nutty flavor to foods and are also used to make tahini.

I learned to make and use Gomasio some years ago, when I cooked in a cafe whose focus was on Macrobiotics. Gomasio is made by toasting the sesame seeds, adding sea salt, then grinding them with a wooden pestle in a special serrated, glazed clay bowl called a Suribachi. The aroma that wafts up while grinding the seeds is heavenly.

Gomasio is delicious with salads, steamed vegetables, stir-fry, and all kinds of grains. I love brown rice (a super food) which has been drizzled with Tamari soy sauce (another super food) then topped with a generous sprinkling of Gomasio.

Gomasio
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1-2 teaspoons sea salt

Place the sesame seeds in a dry skillet (preferably stainless) and roast slowly over low heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the seeds turn golden brown, give off a nutty fragrance, and begin to pop, about 20 minutes.

Once toasted, remove the seeds from the pan immediately to prevent burning, and place in the suribachi. Add sea salt and grind slowly with even, gentle pressure, in a circular motion until each seed is about half crushed. Store in a glass jar.

Children love Gomasio!

Sailor-Style Bread Salad

While enjoying a break from the frigid weather, we also took a break from hearty soups and stews with this substantial bread and tuna salad which is best eaten at room temperature. Originally, this salad was a clever use for stale bread by Italian sailors, who combined it with the fish they caught at sea, a few spices, and olive oil. Consider this pungent salad a meal in itself and make it early in the day to allow the flavors to soak into the bread.

Sailor-Style Bread Salad
8 cups stale bread chunks
Two 6 1/2 oz. cans tuna in olive oil
One 4 oz. can anchovies in olive oil
1 small red onion, minced
2 Tbsp. capers
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano (or 1 tsp. dried)
1/3 cup olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 oz. feta cheese, cubed

Place the bread chunks in a large bowl. Add the tuna with it's oil, the anchovies with their oil, the onions, capers, olives, and oregano. Toss to combine well. Pour the olive oil over the mixture and toss to coat all the bread chunks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Gently fold in the feta cubes.

Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit, at room temperature, for 2 - 3 hours. (Or refrigerate for longer but bring to room temperature before serving.)

Serve with lemon.

Savory Baked Apples

Savory Baked Apples

4 sweet, crisp apples, such as Gala

3 - 4 slices bacon

1 large onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced

Leftover bread, cubed, about 4 cups

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Apple cider

In a large saute pan, cook bacon until crisp then remove to paper towel to drain. Cook the onion and celery in the bacon drippings, until tender. Add bread cubes, ginger, and cayenne, stirring to coat well. Add enough apple cider to make a moist stuffing, about 1/2 cup, more or less.

Slice off the stem end of the apples and reserve. Scoop out the apple pulp to make a bowl. Dice the slices of apples removed from the top and add to the stuffing in the pan, along with all the pulp, except the core, removed from the apple. Crumble the bacon and add that also.

Spoon the stuffing into the apple bowls, piling it up. Place the stuffed apples into a baking dish. Pour about 1/2 inch of apple cider into the dish, cover tightly with foil, and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.