Recipes for tofu fall into two camps, those that highlight it versus those that hide it. While I do sometimes add tofu to recipes to increase moisture and tenderness, I don’t need it to be camouflaged to enjoy it. I like both the soft and firm textures and I appreciate how it plays well with others. While we are used to it in Asian dishes, the truth is it gets along with lots of other flavors too. I’ve been playing around with some products from Pulmuone, a company that makes quite a few soy products and this is one of my favorite creations. I used Wildwood sprouted tofu, which is made from sprouted organic soy beans. It has more calcium, iron and protein than conventional tofu and is a pleasantly firm. Anything but the softest tofu should work fine in this recipe.
I got the idea to use tofu and feta together because they have a similar texture, then I found a member submitted recipe for Baked Tofu with Feta and Spicy Greens in the Epicurious database and decided to take it in a slightly different direction. Basically I used the ingredients I had in my fridge at the time, and hoped for the best. I was not disappointed. Sometimes cooking works like that, other times, well, it turns out ok, but nothing you’d necessarily bother repeating. I try to take good notes of what I’m doing and measure as I go, just in case I hit upon a winner.
I would now like to implore you DO NOT FOLLOW THIS RECIPE. Change something or everything. The amounts and the kinds of green herbs would be a good place to start. Throw in some caper or olives if you like them. Use sundried tomatoes instead of fresh ones. Use white onions instead of green onions. Omit the cilantro or add parsley instead. Skip the feta altogether and make this your very own vegan masterpiece. This recipe is as forgiving as they come. It would be really hard to mess up.
Tofu Feta Tomato Bake
Serves 2-4
10 ounces firm tofu, preferably sprouted
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup basil chiffonade (thin slices)
1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons minced serrano chile, optional
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup diced fresh tomatoes
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice the tofu in pieces to fit in a one quart casserole. Sprinkle the tofu generously with salt and pepper. Add the greens and drizzle with olive oil. Top the tofu with the diced tomatoes and finally with feta cheese. Transfer casserole to the oven and bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until feta begins to turn brown and gets crusty.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: My thanks to Pulmuone for providing me with soy products to use
