Sauteed Tofu With Bitter Greens Recipes

BROILED TERIYAKI TOFU WITH BITTER GREENS, CHILI, AND SCALLION OIL

Steps:

• Heat the broiler and place a rack as close as possible to the flame. Put the tofu pieces on a plate and rub with all over with the teriyaki sauce.
• Add the vegetable oil, one of the pieces of ginger, half the scallions and the garlic cloves to a small saucepan. Heat to a lively simmer, then turn off the heat and allow the oil to steep for 15 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt, then add the broccoli, blanch for 2 minutes, then drain well and shock under cold running water to stop the cooking. Chop into 1-inch lengths and set aside.
• Heat the chicken stock in a small saucepan over medium heat-add the remaining piece of ginger, the soy sauce and half the sesame oil, and simmer on very low heat.
• Place the tofu pieces in an ovenproof skillet or on a baking sheet and broil, turning once, until beginning to caramelize all over, about 4 minutes per side.
• While the tofu is broiling, pick the piece of ginger out of the scallion oil and discard. Heat ½ of the scallion oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the chopped broccoli, the red pepper, the onion and the remaining sesame oil and sauté until warmed through.
• To serve, place a mound of the broccoli in the center of a bowl. Place a piece of broiled tofu over the greens. Ladle some chicken stock around the greens, then add a few spoonfuls of the scallion oil. Repeat with a second bowl, top both bowls with the remaining scallions, and serve.

GRILLED TOFU AND SAUTEED ASIAN GREENS

Steps:

• Cut tofu crosswise into 6 slices. Arrange in 1 layer on a triple layer of paper towels and top with another triple layer of towels. Weight with a shallow baking pan or baking sheet and let stand 2 minutes. Repeat weighting with dry paper towels 2 more times.
• Stir together soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, Tabasco, and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a glass pie plate. Add tofu slices in 1 layer and marinate, turning over every couple of minutes, 8 minutes total.
• Heat a lightly oiled well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Lift tofu from marinade with a slotted spatula (reserve marinade) and grill, turning over once carefully with spatula, until grill marks appear and tofu is heated through, 4 to 6 minutes total.
• While tofu grills, heat remaining teaspoon vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté greens, tossing with tongs, until beginning to wilt. Add reserved marinade and sauté, tossing, until greens are just wilted, about 1 minute. Lift greens from skillet with tongs, letting excess marinade drip off, and divide between 2 plates.
• Serve greens with tofu slices.

SAUTéED TOFU

Steps:

• Here's a preparation I've been making for years. It's in my earlier book, The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet, as an actual recipe, but it can just as easily be improvised. Slice, blot dry, and dice a 16-ounce tub of extra-firm tofu. Gently heat a tablespoon or so each of soy sauce, olive oil, and maple syrup or agave nectar in a wide skillet. Before they get too hot, add the tofu. Stir quickly to coat, then sauté over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the tofu turns golden and crisp. Season with additional soy sauce to taste. If you like, add some grated ginger and/or sliced scallions to this preparation.