With
gratitude for the meals we have shared with
friends past, present and future, I offer this
adaptation of a
recipe that my friend Sujatha used to make years ago.
Usually this is to be read as the list of things you'll need in order to create the delicacy in question, but in this case... ah well, just read the fine print!
Tofu (Baked or Firm/Extra Firm)
Pesto
Capers
Lemons
Pine Nuts
How To:
Step 1: Start by preheating your oven to 400 F. This is a good time to also dilute your pesto if needed. If I've been too lazy to make fresh pesto, I like to dilute my thick, store-bought pesto with almond milk. Soy or regular milk will do just as well. This allows the tofu to be evenly coated and saucy (Is there a better word to describe what I'm talking about??).
Step 2A: If you're using Firm or extra firm tofu, slice or cube the tofu and shallow pan fry it until its golden brown on both sides. Add pine nuts and before you've chanted your mantra even a dozen times, they'll start to brown, so quickly add the pesto, take it off the flame and give it a good stir. Transfer the contents to an oven safe dish. Final step as below
Step 2B: If you're using Baked Tofu and want the healthier option: Mix sliced/cubed tofu and pine nuts with pesto sauce in an oven safe dish.
Final Step: Garnish with lemon wedges around the edges and capers on top. Cook at 400 F for about 15 to 20 minutes until the lemon wedges start to brown a bit.
Well, that's not really the final step, but I don't think you need me to tell you that you should wait for it to cool just a bit before you dig in. You might not think to try it, so let me just tell you that the lemon wedges are simply delish and probably my favorite part of the recipe
This is all the fine print, so skip it at your own risk. It's also the idle musings of my overactive imagination, so feel free to add your non sequitirs as well. After all, I don't have enough distractions when I sit on my zafu and could use some more food for thought :)
- As you might have noticed, I don't deal with measurements and such. In fact I consider recipes in general to be a guideline, like a suggestion from a friendly aunt that you can toy with endlessly and come out a winner even if you ignore all the parts of it :)
- This was originally a chicken recipe, so if fowl is your thing, use that instead of tofu, and its a guaranteed dinner hit.
- Of course, if pesto is anathema to you, then perhaps you should leave this recipe alone and find some other, more-interesting hyperlink to appease your click-thirsty finger-tips.
- Skip the capers at your own risk, although I have no idea why anyone in their right minds would do such a thing. Of course, if you're on my facebook friend list, you're probably not in your right mind anyway, so go ahead, do whatever you want. But seriously, skipping capers??? are you nuts???
- Fine then, skip the tofu, the pesto, the capers, but if you skip the lemons, you're left sucking your thumb, so think carefully before you skip those squishy yellow balls of sunlight and eye-squinting goodness that make this dish so darn yummy.
- Oh! And if you could just leave me a comment about how to add the degree sign after 400, that would be great. Thanks!