Tofu Parmesan

Don't turn your nose up! This is awesome, really!

The trick is to freeze the tofu:

Step 1: Drain the tofu well. (Cut it into three chunks, place it on a paper towel-lined plate, put more paper towels on top, another plate, and then a jar/can to weight it. I wait about 20 minutes, then change the paper towels out and do it again.)

Step 2: Wrap the tofu in plastic wrap and chuck it in the freezer overnight.

Step 3: Take it out of the freezer several hours before you want to use it. You can thaw it in the microwave on defrost.

Step 4: More draining! Slice the tofu into whatever shape you want (for this recipe, slices about a 1/4" thick), then press firmly with paper towels until it is quite dry.

Now that your have your frozen/thawed slices, here's the loosely-prepared recipe:

1 block extra firm tofu, prepared as above
bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
flour
parmesan cheese, grated
2 t dried oregano
1 t dried basil
1/2 t garlic powder
salt & pepper
olive oil
8 oz tomato sauce
4 oz shredded mozzarella

First, you'll need to fry up your tofu slices. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Mix up some bread crumbs with a bit of parmesan, salt and pepper, and any herbage you like.

Lightly dredge each slice of tofu in flour, then dip in the egg wash, then cover with the bread crumb mixture. Pan fry until crunchy. Try not to eat too many pieces before assemblage.

Mix your tomato sauce with the oregano, basil, garlic powder and some salt and pepper. You can use a canned pasta sauce, if you like. I've tried it both ways and found I actually preferred the tangy-ness you get from the plain tomato sauce method. Let this sit for at least fifteen minutes. (I swear, you'll get better flavour if you let it sit.)

In a baking pan, layer sauce/tofu/mozz until everything runs out, making sure you end with a nice layer of cheese. Sprinkle a layer of parmesan over the top and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes, or until nice and bubbly.

I like to serve this with some pasta and garlic bread. And I've made myself really hungry thinking about it.

French Onion Soup

If I were making a list of my top ten favourite foods, French Onion Soup would be one of them. Since it's always made with beef broth, I'm not able to order it anywhere. It's about time I made my own.

1 pound sweet yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used my mandolin to get neat, even slices.)

1 quart broth (Beef broth is traditional. I replaced it with vegetable broth, and if you do the same, I recommend breaking out the good stuff. You could certainly make your own. I used the vegetable Better Than Boullion - it was great, and I bet their no-beef broth would be awesome here.)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 t sugar (You may want to use less, depending on how salty your broth is. Mine was quite salty.)

olive oil, salt and pepper

Loaf of baguette-type bread

Cheese (Gruyere is traditional. I used swiss, because it was what I had on hand.)


Cook the onions in a bit of olive oil over medium heat until they begin to soften but not brown. Add a couple dashes each of salt and pepper, and the sugar, and cook about 15-20 minutes more, stirring frequently, until the onions are dark, soft and very sweet. Add the garlic and the broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes.

While there is simmering, there is time to contemplate the serving of your soup. Take your baguette and cut it, on a bias, into slices roughly 1" thick. Shave or shred enough cheese to cover each piece of bread. Now, you can serve the soup in the "traditional" fashion, or the "lazy/I-don't-have-any-oven-safe-bowls" fashion. Your choice.

Traditional: Once the soup is ready, ladle it into oven-safe bowls. Top each bowl with a slice of bread large enough to cover the top, and a handful of cheese. Place these under the broiler until bubbly.

The Way I Serve It: Lay the baguette slices out on a cookie sheet and mist them with olive oil. Then, either rub a halved garlic clove all over them, or sprinkle liberally with powdered garlic. Top each slice with a bit of cheese, then place under the broiler for a few minutes, until everything is bubbly and browning. Ladle up the soup, and float a slice or two of cheesy bread on top.