Sweet, hot, salty, fried

My earnest supplications to the Teen-aged Weather Gods have gone unanswered, and Portland will again be besieged with rain, every day, until Sunday. Then--I think--summer will begin in earnest. Hopefully. If www.weather.com is a reliable source. This weather makes me want to putter about in my pink fuzzy slippers, dragging around a good novel like a security blanket.


My neighbor, Kristen, has officially thumbed her nose at the gray skies above. When the plants in her yard started drowning from the downpour, she put on her rubber boots and grabbed a shovel. She dug up all her little plant starts and transferred them to pots with dry soil under their porch awning. Kristen says her broccoli is flourishing, and if it could talk it would say, "Thank you for saving us!"


Actually, Kristen is convinced her broccoli can talk and that is simply chosen not to speak in her presence. This is her way and I appreciate it. My way of thumbing my nose at the heavens above involves a skillet and a lot of heat. I've been heating our home for the past week using only our stove, cooking warm dish after warm dish.

We've been eating cheese grits, spaghetti marinara, "macaroni surprise" - a husband invention - and soup, soup, soup. I like to keep some tasty tofu around in case of soup. And this last batch combined all of the flavors this insistent rain makes me crave: sweet, hot, salty, and fried.

If you're moping around the house (for weather-related or other reasons) slice up some tofu, grab some jam, and heat up a skillet.


Oven-fried tofu with chili and jam
serves 4

• 1 pound firm tofu, drained
  
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup sesame or coconut oil (or a mixture of both)
• 2 Tb. Sriracha chili sauce
• 3 Tb. soy sauce
• 1 heaping spoon cranberry relish, raspberry or lingonberry jam
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder or 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
  
• 1/2 tsp. salt, for garnish (optional)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and melt 1/2 of the coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain the tofu and pat it dry with a paper towel, then slice the whole pound into 1/2" cubes. Once the coconut oil is nice and hot (but not burning) add the tofu and give it a stir to coat the cubes in oil.

Let the tofu fry, on medium-high heat, for several minutes until tofu is browned on the bottom. Use a flat spatula to turn the tofu and cook for another 5 minutes. Toss in the sliced garlic. By now, the tofu should still be "soft" and springy, but lightly seared on the sides.

Stir together the chili sauce, soy sauce, and relish or jam. Pour the mixture on the tofu and make sure all pieces are coated. Add the rest of the coconut oil to the skillet and transfer the tofu to the oven to finish crisping. The tofu should be completely "fried" in another 10 - 20 minutes, according to your tastes. Stir in the chili powder and salt and serve. (I usually juggle pan-frying my tofu with really important tasks like watching TV and reading, so for me, this last process varies wildly.)

How should you enjoy the finished tofu? Snack on it alone or stir it in with some noodles and fresh chives or spring onions. Turn it into a soup with a savory broth and some egg flour noodles, garnished with sesame seeds. Use it in a vegetable stir fry with rice. It's all you.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:

Sweet n' spicy curried nut mix
Easy tamale pie
Cajun potatoes