Tofu Wrapped in Butternut Squash Thread, Braised Chard, Caramelized Red Onions, Romaine Salad with Tomatoes

Dinner 1/12

Tofu Wrapped in Butternut Squash Thread

Braised Chard
(chard, garlic, salt, smoked paprika)

Caramelized Red Onions

Romaine Salad with Tomatoes

No, you're not seeing double ;) There was some unused Butternut Squash from last night, so we turned them into threads and wrapped them around the fried tofu much like the potato threads from the other evening.



Spiral cutter gadget thingy = good ;)

The chard was wonderful with the addition of the smoked paprika and the caramelized red onions rounded out the dish nicely...

Tags: tofu, butternut squash, chard, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Raw Food Wednesday: Walnut, Onion and Portobello 'balls, Arugula Pesto, Butternut Squash Pasta

Dinner 1/11

Walnut, Onion and Portobello 'balls
(pureed soaked walnuts, red onion, red bell pepper, portobello mushrooms, sun-dried tomato, parsley, bragg's liquid amino, fresh ground fennel seed, oregano. dehydrated for eight hours @ 108 degrees)

Arugula Pesto
(pureed arugula, cashew nut cheese, brewers yeast, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, salt, pepper)

Butternut Squash Pasta
(spiral cut butternut squash, olive oil, sea salt, pepper, fresh ground fennel seed. dehydrated for one hour @ 108 degrees. topped with red bell pepper and parsley)

Butternut Squash Soup
(pureed butternut squash, cashew nut cheese, basil, bragg's liquid amino, pepper, water)


Raw Food Wednesday kicks it freestyle this week, trying out some new ideas like the arugula pesto and walnut/onion/portobello 'balls -- or as Liz likes to call them -- "tofu's salty balls" ;)

Dinner 1/10

Porcini Encrusted Tofu
(tofu, pepper, dried porcini mushroom, tamari)

Parmesan Rice Cakes
(soy parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, oregano, cooked rice)

Braised Fennel

Pasta e Fagoli
(a.k.a. "When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool That's amore...": carrot, onion, garlic, tomato, oregano, salt, pepper, cannellini beans, veg stock, farfaline pasta)



The tofu had a very high level of umami going on between the mushrooms and tamari.

I just like saying "umami" ;)

Oh, and the amaryllis is finally blooming...

Dinner 1/09

Fusilli with Tomato Sauce *

Cauliflower Simmered in Red Wine

Garlic Bread

Bistro Salad


* The tomato sauce was from that batch we opened the other day from our 2004 canning sessions. These tomatoes are a bit like wine in regard to the concept of terroir. These tomatoes have a definite "place" about them -- they could only have come from our garden...

It's amazing how the the sense of smell acts a trigger -- it puts you back to the moment you picked the tomatoes, with the sun upon your back, and the aroma that filled the kitchen during the rest of the day...

ah, yes -- it must be January ;)

Lunch 1/09

Hot and Sour Soup *
(yellow miso, dried red chile peppers, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, shallot, cilantro, lime juice, salt, enoki mushroom, tofu)

Stir-fry
(tofu, shiitake mushrooms, tamari, sesame oil, jasmine rice)


we were going to make this soup last night with the coconut tofu, but ran out of time -- so I made it for lunch today. It was very hot (dried chiles can pack a punch) and sour (kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, lime juice) but very fresh tasting, and the enoki mushrooms acted like noodles...

Dinner 1/08

Coconut Tofu
(tofu, beer batter, coconut flake) w/ Red Curry and Coconut Milk Dipping Sauce

Broccoli, Baby Corn and Cashew Stir-fry

Stir-Fried Jasmine Rice w/ Thai Basil




um, it appears that we've been nominated for a "best of the blogs award". Rock On.

Lunch 1/08

Grilled "Cheese" Sandwich

Chips and Salsa

Our daughter who is eight, didn't want to get left out of the blogging about the Vegan Family Cookbook, so she had her turn in the kitchen with today's lunch. The "cheese" (pg. 139) is soy milk, uncooked oatmeal, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, paprika, almond butter (or peanut butter) and cornstarch.

We made small batch to start... the cornstarch did it's job and it really did end up having that melted "gooey" texture. It needed a bit more "character" so for the second batch we upped the nutritional yeast and added smoked paprika. The adults loved it, the kids... well, we'll work on it some more... ;)

Dinner 1/07

Quesadilla
(onion, garlic, red bell pepper, jalapeno, soy monterey jack cheese, salt, pepper)

Pozole
(mexican style hominy soup with hominy, onion, garlic, chile de arbol, ancho chiles, grilled zucchini, veg stock and fried tofu)

Stuffed Mushrooms
(portobello mushrooms stuffed with roasted poblano, rice, cilantro, soy monterey jack)


The quesadilla's came from the Vegan Family Cookbook, which I recently received for review from the nice folks at Lantern Books -- a very cluetrain* move on their part ;)

The book is clearly geared towards new vegans, their families or people who would like to cook for vegans, but don't always know what to make.

Our son, who is 12, has shown an increasing desire to help in the kitchen, and this book is an ideal intro to basic vegan cooking. The book offers short, concise recipes that rely on items you would find in a well stocked vegan pantry.

So, with that in mind, we gave him the book and asked him what he would want to make. It didn't take long -- right there on page 6 was the recipe for quesadillas -- and he just wanted some dang quesadillas -- Gosh! -- and yes, he loves "Napoleon Dynamite" ;)

He read the recipe to me while I cut the peppers and onions, got the saute pan out and turned on the griddle. After that, it was all up to him on how it went. He read and followed the instructions, shredded the soy cheese, folded the tortillas -- and in the end made some really good quesadillas...

I wish this book had been available when I was 12. ;)

One minor quibble would be the lack of pictures, and use of canned food where fresh might be better (canned green chiles?), but this is family food, not a Thomas Keller coffee table book ;)

now, let's get author and Chef Brian McCarthy blogging!

* I suppose this really a bit of the long tail (you can't really get too more "niche" than vegan food blogs) + hughtrain ("Blogs are a great way to make things happen indirectly") you're seeing here... oh sorry, we've wandered away from this blog, haven't we? ;)

Dinner 1/06

Loubeh
(slow braised green beans in a onion, garlic and tomato sauce)

Muhammara
(Saveur #85 p. 22 -- roasted red pepper, toasted walnut and pomegranate dip)

Grill Bread
(Gourmet December 2005 pg. 130)

Black Lentil and Cauliflower Soup with Mustard Greens
(black lentils, onion, garlic, smoked paprika, cauliflower, mustard greens, salt and pepper)

Steamed Artichokes


Liz wanted to try and recreate one of our favorite recipes for green beans, using the slow cooker we purchased recently (for catering gigs). The tomato sauce was one of our last batches of canned tomatoes we made from our garden in September 2004 -- still had amazing flavor...

The "not quite pita" Grill Bread (made in the cast-iron skillet) was a good compliment to the whole meal with the Muhammara, Loubeh and lentil soup.

Tofu Marsala with Potato Threads, Braised Leeks and Mixed Greens Salad

Dinner 1/05

Tofu Marsala
(pan-fried tofu wrapped in yukon gold potato threads, topped with garlic, tomato paste, lemon juice and sauteed mushroom, over farfalline pasta)

Braised Leeks

Mixed Greens Salad
(with dried tart cherries and fig vinaigrette)

After all the fun playing with the spiral cutter yesterday, we decided to try out an idea we've had for a while -- tofu wrapped in potato threads.



For the first attempt, we par-boiled the potatoes for 1 minute just to soften them up -- and the long threads promptly broke apart. Plan "b" was to just peel the potatoes and wrap them raw around the cooked tofu, and then saute them together in the wok until the potatoes were golden, and then finish the whole dish off in the oven for 10 minutes at 350F. Turned out to be a much better plan ;) -- the potatoes were a good compliment to the mushrooms and the sauce...


PS: Euan, thanks for the link ;)

Tags: tofu, potatoes, salad, cherries, leeks, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Raw Food Wednesday: Kofta with a Tomato Curry Sauce over Zucchini Noodles, Butternut Squash and Tomato Dahl, Red Cabbage, Carrot and Raisin Salad

Dinner 1/04

Kofta with a Tomato Curry Sauce over Zucchini Noodles
(Kofta: sprouted sunflower seeds, soaked raw almonds, cilantro, zucchini, parsley, cilantro, salt, cayenne, cumin, turmeric root, ginger root, agave and garlic pureed together in the Vita-Mix, formed into medium sized balls and dehydrated for six hours at 108 degrees; Tomato Curry Sauce: pureed sun-dried tomatoes, tomatoes, raw cashews, cilantro, agave, curry powder; Zucchini Noodles: spiral cut, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, turmeric, dehydrated for an hour at 108 degrees.)


Butternut Squash and Tomato Dahl
(butternut squash, tomato, mustard greens, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper pureed and garnished with additional tomato)

Red Cabbage, Carrot and Raisin Salad with Lemon Juice Vinagrette



Raw Food Wednesday returns for 2006... Keyword: Pureed ;)

The kofta turned out really well on the dehydrator -- they kept their shape and had a great texture, not too crumbly, not too chewy and a good match with the curry sauce.

The way the spiral cutter made the zucchini noodles was just ideal for this dish -- almost the same thickness and consistency as traditional cooked spaghetti. If I didn't know better I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

Finally, a word about mustard greens -- wow, those things are spicy! As soon as you slice one up you can smell the aroma -- no mistaking what kind of green your eating ;)

Tags: raw food wednesday, raw food, raw, tomato, zucchini, butternut squash, mustard greens, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Dinner 1/03

Tomatillo Braised Seitan with Mustard Greens
(heavily adapted from Rick Bayless: tomatillo, onion, garlic, cilantro, salt, pepper, mustard greens)

Smoked Paprika Sweet Potato Fries

Refried Jasmine Rice w/ Mexican Oregano and Cubanelle Raja

Oyster Mushroom Salad
(with avocado dressing)



We still had some tomatillo's that were hanging in there after the holiday season -- so into the broiler they went for five minutes until softened. The tomatillos were pureed in the Vita-Mix with a 1/2 cup of cilantro, salt and 1/2 cup of veg stock. Meanwhile, we sauteed two packages of diced seitan, two sliced onions and four chopped garlic cloves, the added the pureed tomatillo mixture and put into a 350 degree oven to braise for 30 minutes. In the last 10 minutes we added the chopped mustard greens.

Dinner 1/02

Stir Fry
(tofu, carrot, garlic, ginger, scallions, tamari)

Seared/Steamed Brussel Sprouts

Refried Jasmine Rice


I know you don't come for moview reviews, but... ;)

with the day off, we saw King Kong today -- a bit long (can't wait to see how long -- or how many discs -- the director's cut will be), but a well done movie with the special FX. Plus it's always fun playing the "spot the original film scene homage."

Dinner 1/01

Seitan Stew
(seitan, onion, garlic, carrots, herbes de provence, fennel stock, salt, pepper)

Black Lentils with Truffle Oil

Yukon Gold Potatoes

Haricot Verts

Artichoke Hearts Au Gratin

Dinner 12/31

Tofu wrapped in Mung Bean Sheets with a Hoisin and Orange Juice Reduction Sauce
(tofu, fice-spice powder, tamari, garlic, ginger, szechuan pepper; orange juice, hoisin, garlic, ginger, tamari)

Shiitake Mushroom Soup
(shiitake mushroom broth, ginger, garlic, star anise, scallions, toasted sesame oil, somen noodles)

Gyoza 1
(napa cabbage, shiitake, mushroom sauce)

Gyoza 2
(soy cream cheese, parsnips, scallion, smoked paprika, danish smoked salt)

Refried Jasmine Rice


the end of another year -- and we go out in style with the flavor packed tofu wrapped in mung bean sheets...

2005 In Review Pt. 2

Here's Part 2 of the year end review... Enjoy!



Saturday, July 30, 2005

Spicy Lemongrass-Ginger [chicken] Tofu
(Food and Wine September 2005)

Eggplant with Coconut Milk and Scallions
(Food and Wine September 2005)

Stir-fried Baby Bok Choy with Shiitake Mushrooms
(Food and Wine September 2005)

Jasmine Rice

Wilted Turnip Greens w/ Garlic and Ginger and Sesame Oil


In the recipes, we changed the Vietnamese Stir-Fry Sauce to veg stock, soy sauce and sugar.

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(bonus shot: July 24, 2005: Dehydrated Cherry Tomatoes)

the arty shot of the year ;)

dehydrated cherry tomatoes as part of a raw dinner cooling on the rack. The Excalibur 2900 dehydrator was the best kitchen item we bought this year, hands down -- it made the raw food dinners go that much smoother and was a breeze to use...

 

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Monday, August 15, 2005

Gumbo Z'Vegan*

Hoecakes with Okra and Tomato

Boiled Baby Corn

* traditionally, Gumbo Z'Herbes has many different greens that are wilted and then almost pureed to thicken the stew. this variation on used cabbage and kale -- because that's what we had on hand ;)

 

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(bonus shot: Wednesday, August 03, 2005: Summer Squash Lattice Tart)

Channeling our inner Martha, this tart is visually appealing and uses up those yellow squash which seem to replicate when no one is looking ;)

 

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Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Eggplant Ravioli Stuffed with Macadamia Nut Ricotta, Tomato and Marinated Portobello Mushrooms, topped with Basil and Walnut Pesto
(from Renee Underkoffler's "Living Cuisine" book)

Raw Borscht
(from Juliano -- beet juice, orange juice, jalapeno, avacado, cabbage, dill, parsley, carrot, galic, galanga, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, apples)

Figs in Vanilla Cream and Orange Sabayon
(from Charlie/Roxanne -- cashew nut milk and oranges make a really nice counterpart to the ripe figs -- a nice end to the meal)


well, now that epicurious.com has dissed raw foods...

"Fancified raw cuisine: Despite several prominent chefs' exhortations, this tasteless, unhealthy trend is both time-consuming to make and expensive to buy (think $12 "tomato tartare" -- aka salsa)."

I guess we can't make it anymore :(

I'm also guessing it must be awfully hard for these people to walk with that giant stick up their ass. ;)

I'll further guess they also forgot the article they still have on the site hyping it a few years back...

Having joked about that, they are right about it being time consuming -- but the rest of it is bollocks... raw food is some of the most flavorful and healthful food we've ever had the pleasure of not cooking.

The eggplant ravioli's were fun -- I used our mandoline on the peeled eggplant and got very nice uniform slices that marinated and folded perfectly. After stuffing them, they went into the dehydrator for four hours which brought it all together.

 

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(bonus shot: September 11, 2005: Two Soups)

Our favorite soup of the year easily had to be the Garlic Soup with Tofu -- and this is my favorite shot of it, in the smaller bowls

 

 

 

 

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Monday, October 31, 2005

Glazed Apple Cider and Maple Syrup Tofu
(apple cider, maple syrup, cinnamon stick, black cardamom, clove, black pepper -- reduced down to a glaze, then brushed over pan-fried tofu and broiled for about 2 minutes a side)

Roasted Spaghetti Squash
(mixed with soy margerine and soy parmesan)

Sauteed Button Mushrooms

Orange, Rosemary and Maple Syrup Glazed Roasted Root Vegetables
(yams, potatoes, parsnips and turnips)


You have to be careful around us when ring molds are inolved ;)

Every once in a while -- not often -- there is a dinner where the mind's eye and execution come together. Tonight's meal was that -- the spaghetti squash/mushroom combo matched the glazed tofu (just right, not too sweet) -- likewise the orange/rosemary/maple syrup combo on the root vegetables hit just the right note.

oh, yeah this one will go in the cookbook under "Fall" ;)

 

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(bonus shot: October 5, 2005: Raw Pad Thai)

from Charlie Trotter / Roxanne Klein's "Raw" book -- recipe here

Our stand-by raw dinner, and we just scored a case of young coconuts (which are used as noodles in the dish). The tamarind sauce matches well with the crisp vegetables.

I liked the way the natural light hit the matte finish of the plate, framing the dish nicely...

 

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Thursday, November 24, 2005

Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner

Pan-Fried Tofu Cutlets glazed with Cranberry, Cherry, Orange and Agave Sauce, topped with Wild Mushroom Duxelle and baked, wrapped in Phyllo then finished with Mushroom Gravy served over French Lentils.

Roasted Root Vegetables
(potato, turnip, parsnip, carrots, garlic)

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Smoked Paprika

Braised Brussel Sprouts with Chestnuts

Barley and Mushroom Soup

Wild Rice Salad served in Boston Lettuce Leaves with a Blood Orange Vinaigrette
(wild rice, dried cranberries and cherries, celery, pecans)

Homemade Ciabatta Bread

Pumpkin Cheesecake



You know you're in trouble when the name of the main dish is 30 words long ;)

 

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(bonus shot: Raw Almond Burger -- November 9, 2005)

almond, scallions, carrot, cilantro, white miso, pepper, dehydrated for 10 hours -- served with avocado and cucumber relish on a piece of red leaf lettuce.

Looks like a raw foods book cover ;)

 

 

 

 

 

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Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Black Tea Smoked Tofu with Porcini Crust

Jasmine Rice "Block"

Braised Leek Puree

Wasabi Mashed Potatoes Pancakes with Wasabi Pea Crust

Stir-Fried Snow Peas


I know, we just made this the other day but it was really very good... ;)

 

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(bonus shot: Espresso Bean Chocolate Cheesecake -- December 11, 2005)

We couldn't leave without showing the best dessert of the year -- The Espresso Bean Chocolate Cheesecake -- an amazing cake that's a feast for the eyes as well as the body...

 

 

 


onwards to 2k6...

2005 In Review Pt. 1

First, a huge debt of thanks my wife Liz for all the evenings she's had to wait to eat while I take "just one more picture" ;)

To all the folks who have added us to their blogrolls this year or read us via RSS, LiveJournal, or were just looking for info on veganism... thank you. Tell some friends and we'll continue to explore vegan food together in 2006.

As sort of a year-end round up, I thought we'd look back at the past 12 months and pick the best meal from each month -- here's Part 1...



Sunday, January 23, 2005

Tiki Night*

Sweet and Sour Seitan
(seitan, red and yellow bell pepper, carrot, onion, pineapple -- w/ the sauce of tamari, white wine vinegar, ketchup, sugar -- then the cornstarch/water slurry to thicken)

Parsnip "Rangoon" (additional picture)
(variation on the old Trader Vic staple -- gyoza wrappers w/ parsnips, cayenne, soy cream cheese)

Eggplant in Coconut
(seared, then baked w/ a coconut, onion, garlic and tomato sauce)

* we decorated, wore a lei, made fruit based drinks, played some Don Ho, and ate a lot of food -- because what else are you going to do when there's two feet of snow piled up in front of your door and the wind chill is -10?

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(bonus picture: January 16, 2005: Chocolate Mousse Cake w/ cherries and hazelnuts)

Words fail me -- must.. eat... cake...

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Saturday, February 12, 2005

Seitan a la Jojo*

Green Beans

Tomato and Fennel Soup
(from "Les Halles" cookbook)

* this was one of those Valentine Dinner "ideas" that I get occasionally -- usually laying down w/ a cool compress across my forehead is enough to make them go away -- but not this time...

What if you took the "Duck a la Jojo" recipe from Jean-Georges Vongerichten, use seitan instead -- and here's the kicker -- stuff it in a inari pocket (a bean curd product) w/ jasmine rice?

OK, so nobody's asking, but here's how it went anyway... ;)

First the rice -- usually, Inari is stuffed w/ sushi rice, but I used jasmine instead, although I did consider using the sushi rice. Maybe next time.

Then it was a simple as stuffing the inari with the jasmine rice, layering the sauteed seitan on top and coating w/ the signature Jojo spice infused sauce (cinnamon, mace, corriander, orange juice, sherry vinegar and veg stock).

The result -- really, really, really really good. Shockingly (shocking!) good.

do you get the idea we liked it? ;)

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(bonus picture: February 19, 2005: Raw Zucchini Rolls)

This was a big year for raw foods in our house, eventually becoming a Wednesday night tradition... this was part of a lunch that capped off a five day raw food run. The zucchini rolls are a great way to utilize the inevitable leftover raw cheese and tomato marinara...

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Tofu with Couscous and Apricot wrapped in Mung Bean Sheets*

Fried Polenta

Braised Brussel Sprouts


* We made this the day after a Tony Coturri wine tasting -- specifically to try with 2003 Coturri Freiberg Zinfandel (which has a hit of Apricot in the nose -- another fantastic wine from Tony).

Mung bean sheets are our new yuba sheets ;)

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(bonus picture: March, 2005: close-up of marzipan carrot on carrot cake from easter)

Liz really kicked ass this year in the dessert department -- the cake was not only beautiful to look at, but delicious as well. The marzipan carrots were fun to make -- and you can see where the squirrel on the "buche de noel" came from in December ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Monday, April 4, 2005

Mexican "Sushi"
(soy cream cheese, soyrizo, chipotle chile, deep fried tempeh, avocado, mesclun lettuce mix, red pepper tortilla wrap)

an abomination, yes -- but oh so tasty ;)

 

 

 

 

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(bonus picture: April 3, 2005: curried quinoa and mango salad on endive leaves)

this has become one of our go-to catering gig dishes -- easy to make, tasty to eat and it's always a good conversation starter after you say the word Quinoa (KEEN-wa) ;)

 
 
 
 

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Saturday, May 21, 2005

Pasta Puttanesca *
(onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, kalamata olives, green olives, capers, soyrizo, tomato, salt and pepper)

Ciabatta


* My son made this -- I did the chopping, he got all the ingredients out and did the measuring and stirring. It's become his signature dish -- but I'll wait to explain the name for a little while longer... ;)

also, ignore the stunt photography -- it was a nice evening and I had just mowed the back yard ;)

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(bonus picture: May 11, 2005: the grill)

Grilled ramps, bread and radicchio... Ramp season is fleeting, but a welcome sign of spring -- much like the grilled morels we also had with this dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Saturday, June 18, 2005

Zucchini "Noodles" and Seitan

Tempura with Ponzu
(onion, asparagus, scapes, broccoli)

Steamed/Seared Bok Choy

Grilled Tofu with Enoki Mushrooms over Udon



looking back at this I had forgotten how cool the zucchini noodles and seitan dish turned out -- as well as the tofu/enoki combo...

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(bonus picture: June 11, 2005: Tempura w/ Ponzu)

we always make too much tempura ;)

Asparagus, Shiitake Mushroom, Broccoli, Onion

 

 

Dinner 12/30

Our next-door neighbor was having a little get together -- so we brought over a small dish of spinach and tofu balls (sorry, no pictures), which turned out well. Although, they would have probably fit right in during a party in 1975 ;)

uh, oh. that's twice in three days we haven't cooked dinner...

A picture from Wednesday when the deer decided to cross the lake despite the 40 degree weather...

Dinner 12/29

Bruschetta
(tomato, zucchini, onion, garlic)

Braised Red Cabbage
(red cabbage, vinegar, capers, kalamata olives, salt and pepper)

Baked Broccoli

Porcini Soup With Potatoes

Black Tea Smoked Tofu with Porcini Crust, Jasmine Rice Block, Braised Leek Puree, Wasabi Mashed Potatoes Pancakes with Wasabi Pea Crust

Dinner 12/28

Black Tea Smoked Tofu with Porcini Crust

Jasmine Rice "Block"

Braised Leek Puree

Wasabi Mashed Potatoes Pancakes with Wasabi Pea Crust

Stir-Fried Snow Peas

OK, it's the end of the year, I didn't make dinner yesterday and something just... snapped.

The Black Tea Smoked Tofu was adapted from Ken Hom's "Chinese Techniques" book -- which is right up there with Jacques Pepin's "La Methode" and "La Technique" books



The wok doubled as a smoker with chopsticks as a grate, and to keep the oolong tea/jasmine rice/brown sugar smoke combo circulating around the tofu.



The whole thing took about 30 minutes, but really made a difference with the taste of the tofu.

The tofu was then fried in the wok with a splash of tamari at the end.



The Porcini Crust is adapted from Susur Lee's book "A Culinary Life". Although we do have fresh (frozen) porcini in the freezer, I wanted to see how this was going to work out before committing the good stuff to the project ;) The dried porcini soaked for an hour or so, and was then chopped finely and sauteed along with shallot, garlic, breadcrumbs and truffle oil. It all went into the vita-mix for a few pulses to even everything out.



The Wasabi Mashed Potatoes are adapted from Ming Tsai's "Blue Ginger" cookbook -- mashed potatoes, soy margarine, salt, pepper, horseradish, wasabi powder -- formed into pancakes, then put through a seasoned flour, cornstarch & water mixture and pulverized wasabi peas to form a crust and finally into a cast-iron skillet with oil until golden.

The jasmine rice "block" was formed by lining a wooden maki form with plastic wrap, adding the warm rice and pressing down. The block was cut in half, placed on top of the leek puree and topped with the tofu.

So you're asking, how did it taste?

Amazing.

Quibbles -- usually potatoes and rice in the same dish is starch overkill, but they were such different textures and flavors that it wasn't too noticeable. Presentation would have been cooler with a scallion tying the rice and tofu together. Next time.

Dinner 12/27

no "real" dinner* to report tonight... We went up to Cleveland to see Chris and Patrick (who was visiting town, taking a holiday break from cooking school in NYC) for a get together at Great Lakes Brewery.

thanks to Patrick and Genevieve for the lovely homemade triple berry jam, granola and applesauce.

* yes, we did eat something ;) the pasta and broccoli rabe leftovers from last night.

Dinner 12/26

Broccoli Rabe over Fusilli Pasta
(parboiled, then sauteed with olive oil, shallots, green olives, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and the pasta)

Steamed Artichokes

Homemade Ciabatta Bread


We haven't had the broccoli rabe (raab) in a while -- there was a period a few years ago where we had it as often as we eat gyoza today ;) Parboiling does help remove most of the bitterness, as does the saute, but some of it remains. But the bitterness works in the overall context of this dish...