Hey, I promised you some recipes, didn't I? Well, I suddenly got bombarded with work deadlines and kind of forgot. We did make it up to Maine for the long weekend, which was lovely. I had to bring some work, but not too-too much, and at least I had a different window view when I looked away from my monitor! We bundled up and walked down to the beach—and were definitely not the only ones there (although we were in the minority of people without dogs). For Valentine's Day we took out from our favorite restaurant, Walkers Maine, and brought it back to the house. We transferred everything to plates, opened a bottle of wine, lit candles, and pretended we were at the restaurant. Hopefully next year... (Also: This was our 35th Valentine's Day together!)
We finished watching The Queen's Gambit. We liked it well enough but had some overarching problems with it, which I won't mention here because spoilers. We also weren't big fans of the acting—except for Benny Watts and maybe Harry Beltik (and of course Mr. Shaibel). We especially didn't care for the nonstop views of Beth making all those intense expressions. Ah well, it was definitely interesting as a story.
But back to the recipes! Here are two more winners from Budget Bytes—which, I must keep reiterating, has never let me down yet. You should really spend some time over there, and even sign up for email updates.
First up is the best tofu dish I ever made! The secret is to coat the tofu cubes in cornstarch so they get a beautiful golden-brown sear. The recipe calls for frozen broccoli, but I used fresh (and just steamed them a bit so they'd stir-fry quickly). And for once I remembered to take a photo—look how yummy! (Update 12/28/21: As mentioned here, I've adapted this recipe to make it a little easier and neater.)
Pan-Fried Sesame Tofu with Broccoli
STIR-FRY
1 (14-ounce) block extra-firm tofu
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon neutral oil
8 ounces frozen broccoli florets (I used fresh and steamed them briefly first.)
Steamed white rice, for serving
3 scallions, sliced
SAUCE
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Place a few folded paper towels on a rimmed baking sheet. Remove the tofu from the package and cut the block in half horizontally (like you’re slicing a bagel). Place the halves side by side on the towels. Place more towels on top, cover with another baking sheet, and then weigh the whole thing down with a few canned goods or a heavy pot. Press the tofu for 30 minutes to extract excess water.
While the tofu is pressing, in a small bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients; set aside.
Cut the pressed tofu into 1-inch cubes. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons oil until smooth. Add the tofu and toss until thoroughly coated.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and tilt the skillet to coat the bottom. Add the dusted tofu cubes and cook until golden brown and crispy on each side, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
Add the frozen (or steamed fresh) broccoli to the hot skillet and stir-fry just until slightly browned on the edges. Lower the heat to medium-low.
Give the bowl of sauce a good stir, then pour it into the skillet with the broccoli. Stir and cook until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken (this should happen very quickly). Once thickened, turn off the heat and stir in the cooked tofu cubes.
Serve the tofu and broccoli over a bed of rice and top with the scallions.
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Here's another one; I didn't take a photo but you can look at the one at the link. I've made this a couple of times already—delicious!
Spaghetti with Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
1 large egg
1 pound ground chicken or turkey
½ cup breadcrumbs
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano (I used 1 teaspoon Italian herbs instead of the separate basil and oregano.)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons neutral oil
12 ounces spaghetti or other pasta
1 (24-ounce) jar tomato sauce (or homemade!)
In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to combine the ingredients until evenly mixed. Shape the mixture into meatballs, about 1 to 1½ tablespoons each. You should get about 20 meatballs. (I make them not quite spherical so they're easier to turn and brown on all sides.)
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add half of the meatballs and cook for about 1 minute on each side, until all six sides are browned and the meatballs are cooked through. Transfer the cooked meatballs to a clean plate. Add the second tablespoon of cooking oil to the skillet and cook the second batch of meatballs in the same manner.
While the meatballs are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, then drain. Put the sauce in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Once all the meatballs are done, add them to the pot of sauce and stir to coat. If needed, allow them to heat for a few minutes in the sauce.
Serve the pasta topped with the meatballs and sauce.
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