tofu | The Tofu Diaries

Mini vegan ‘frittata di carciofi’ or artichoke omelette with the delicious fresh sage and black pepper. Accompanied by crisped ‘fagioli’ or white cannellini beans baked in truffle oil and crushed garlic. All served with lashings of fresh lemon juice.

“A Tuscan dish? But we were expecting some Sicilian recipes!” I hear you cry (just play along with me here…) It is true that I promised you all some Sicilian recipes of my own, but I heard a rumour that Tuscany Now are currently hosting a food blogger challenge. The competition is actually open to all Italian-inspired recipes but as soon as I heard the word ‘Tuscan’ my attention immediately wandered and I became curious about Tuscan cuisine.

Simple cooking and flavourful, fresh seasoning forms the basis of the region’s food with its roots firmly in peasant cooking. Free-flowing olive oil, rich truffle, an abundance of beans, garlic and sage; the more I read the more I could already taste the flavours of Tuscany! The artichoke omelette, ‘Frittata di carciofi,’ was one dish that caught my eye, as was the idea of making the most of the area’s love of the humble bean. Tuscan-Inspired Frittata di Carciofi con Fagioli | Vegan

This dish is by no means the same as you would find in a Tuscan cookbook. It is very much an interpretation, but the flavours are 100% authentic and I hope enough to pique the taste buds of any Italian mangione.

The vegan omelette mix here can be a little on the tricky side so take great care when turning – wait until the underside has turned golden brown and the edges are cooked through first. This is definitely not a mix for flipping! It’s worth letting the beans crisp a little to add a wonderful contrast of textures. The truffle oil can be substituted for an oil of your choice but it adds an extra dimension to the flavour that I wouldn’t recommend missing out on.

Ingredients:

Makes around 12 mini omelettes.

For the omelettes:

1 tin/jar of artichoke hearts, sliced

400g firm tofu

1tbsp milk of your choice (I used soy)

1tbsp tahini

4tbsp cornflour

2tsp vegetable bouillon

2 stalks fresh sage, roughly torn; extra to serve

Generous amount of black pepper

Oilve oil, for cooking

For the beans:

1 tin/235g white cannellini beans (drained weight)

2tbsp truffle oil

5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with the back of a knife

Juice of one lemon; extra slices to serve

Method:

1.Preheat the oven to 180C / gas mark 6. Put the beans, truffle oil and garlic into an oven-proof dish. Mix well to ensure that the beans are fully coated in the oil and the garlic is well distributed.

2. In the meantime, place the block of tofu in a large bowl. Using a spoon, mash well until it is fully crumbled. Add the milk, tahini, cornflour, vegetable bouillon, fresh sage and black pepper to the tofu and mix thoroughly until it forms a batter. Stir in the artichokes.

3. Place the beans in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes until the edges of the beans have become crispy.

4. In a frying pan, heat 2-3tbsp olive oil (depending on the size of the pan) over a medium-high heat. Spoon in the batter to create individual mini omelettes, leaving a little space between each so they don’t run together.

5. Slightly lower the heat and cook for around 7-8 minutes until the edges have cooked through. Carefully turn the omelette and cook for a further 2-3 minutes on the other side. If they are not browning, add a small amount of additional olive oil. Depending on the size of your pan, you will need to cook them in 2-3 batches.

6. Remove the beans from the oven and pour over the lemon juice. Serve atop the omelettes. Garnish with fresh lemon and fresh sage. This is my entry to the #TuscanyNowCookOff – for more details and to enter visit their blog. Have you ever cooked any Tuscan dishes?

Freezing tofu transforms the texture and allows it to soak up flavours even more effectively. This recipe uses a simple marinade of sesame oil, soy sauce, chilli flakes and black pepper to create a perfect addition to just about any dish.

Tofu is a divisive food: some people love it in any form, some only like it cooked in certain ways, whilst others are adamant they don’t like it at all. This recipe is intended to appeal to all of these people.

Since tofu is such an expert at absorbing the flavours it is marinated and cooked in, its texture can be the real make-or-break element. Freezing tofu then thawing it before cooking brings about a complete transformation; the soft smooth tofu you put into the freezer becomes replaced with a new spongy ingredient that, well, behaves exactly as though it were a sponge. When you fry it, crispy edges form and you have a delicious and versatile addition to any meal (it actually makes a great snack too, hot or cold!)

The same rules apply here as to regular tofu in that there is no end to the different ways you could flavour it. It’s really does feel like a new ingredient altogether if you’ve never used it before though, so in this recipe I’ve kept it super simple with just sesame oil, soy sauce, chilli flakes and black pepper. I put all of my effort into the tofu and served it up with a simple vegetable stir-fry, rice noodles and hoisin sauce for a fully vegan meal.

Freeze your tofu in its original packaging (or in a pot if you are using leftovers) at least twenty-four hours but ideally a few days before you plan to make this then allow a full twenty-four hours to defrost. The liquid soaks up quickly so leaving for ten minutes to marinate is sufficient.Ingredients:

400g block of firm tofu, frozen and left to thaw

1-2 tbsp sesame oil

4 tbsp soy sauce

1tsp dried chilli flakes + ½ tsp to serve

½ tsp black pepper

1-2 tbsp olive oil, for frying

Method:

1. Remove the tofu from the packaging (retaining the pot it came in, if applicable) then cut into around three or four large chunks. Wrap in kitchen roll and place on a plate with a heavy pan or pot on top. Leave for around half an hour to drain.

2. Remove the tofu from the kitchen paper. There will still be a lot of liquid left in the tofu at this stage so squeeze each block between your palms (being careful not to squirt yourself with it!) over something that can catch the water. Hold the tofu lengthways across your palm as you squeeze to prevent breakage.

3. Cut the tofu into 1cm thick slices. Squeeze each of these slices in the manner above to remove any remaining water. Place the slices back in the original container the tofu came in or in a similar sized pot – using a pot this size keeps the marinade near the tofu and ensures it is all soaked up.

4. In a bowl, mix together the marinade ingredients. Pour over the tofu, taking care to cover each slice fully. Leave to marinate for ten minutes. Slice into 1cm wide strips.

5. Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add in the olive oil followed shortly by the tofu pieces.

6. Cook, turning frequently, until the sides have crisped and turned darker. The oil will be soaked up quickly, add more if it starts to stick. Remove from heat and sprinkle addition with chilli flakes.

7. Serve with, or cook into, your chosen dish they are accompanying or simply eat as a snack. They can also be enjoyed cold.