PRESERVED TOFU ESCABECHE!

I bet you've never seen such an amazing recipe before.

This preserved tofu escabeche is the best, I repeat, the best tofu recipe I have ever tasted. I have been making this recipe for a long time because it is a perfect fridge foraging recipe: You can preserve tofu in an amazing brine using WHATEVER vegetables you have laying around in your fridge. Have fun and be amazed by the beauty and deliciousness of this special tofu escabeche!

Enough chitchat! Here is the recipe!

PRESERVED TOFU ESCABECHE!

• 1/2 carrot, sliced
• About two cups of red and yellow peppers, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup of sliced green onion
• 1/3 cup of onion or shallots, sliced
• 3 whole mashed garlic cloves
• Dried sage
• Cherry tomatoes or roughly chopped tomatoes, about 1 cup
• 2 blocks of a firm or extra firm tofu, pressed
• A few baby potatoes
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon of whole black peppercorns
• a few allspice corns
• 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
• 3 or 4 slices of fresh ginger
• 2 orange zests
• 2 lemon zests
• 1/4 cup of sherry wine vinegar
• 1 cup of white wine
• 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
• Olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• Fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons of port wine or 1 teaspoon of your favorite sweetener (sugar, agave, vegan honey...)

Instructions

  • 1.
    Cut the carrot, pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and onion into strips. Vegetables may vary – use your favorites or whatever you have on hand
  • 2.
    Turn on the heat and add a good amount of olive oil. Add three crushed garlic cloves, the black peppercorns, the allspice, the ginger, and the coriander seeds. Again, use the spices that you fancy or have at home
  • 3.
    Add two orange peels and the bay leaves, and the dried sage
  • 4.
    Add the vegetables and sauté. Add more olive oil, salt, and peppe
  • 5.
    When the vegetables are cooked but al dente, add smoked paprika and, after a few seconds so that it does not burn, add a cup of white wine and 1/3 cup of sherry wine vinegar
  • 6.
    Add the cherry tomatoes or chopped tomatoes and lower the heat to a minimum
  • 7.
    Cut the tofu into fairly thick strips, press it well
  • 8.
    Add the port wine to the marinate. Turn off the heat
  • 9.
    Fill a third of a glass jar with the marinade, place the tofu on top and cover with more marinade until the container is full, add the fresh herb of your choice, I have used a sprig of rosemary but fresh thyme is also great. This way it will keep for weeks; the longer the tofu is in the marinade, the more flavor
  • 10.
    MAKE THE PAN-SEARED TOFU ESCABECHE RECIPE:
  • 11.
    Cut the potatoes into thick slices and boil them in a pot with water and salt
  • 12.
    In a pan, over medium heat, add the olive oil from the escabeche olive oil, add the tofu and sear it until all its faces are golden brown. Do the same with the potatoes.
  • 13.
    On a plate, place a base of potatoes, followed by the tofu and some of the escabeche vegetables.
  • 14.
    Season with salt and pepper, add a touch of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and finish with a little liquid from the escabeche.
  • 15.
    CHEF'S TIP:
  • 16.
    When the tofu is gone and all you have is some of the delicious escabeche marinate and some of the marinated vegetables, you can add it to a blender along with a few slices of toasted or stale bread, a tiny bit of water, and blend it until smooth and drizzle it on top of a salad, or a bowl of rice or as a dip for your vegetables or fries!
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