homemade tofu?

It’s been awhile. And that’s because … I’m in culinary school! I enrolled at The Institute of Culinary Education as a student in the health supportive culinary arts program. It’s amazing, except for the four-hour daily commute. I’ve learned so much (see my IG account @adailydip for details and photos).

One of our classes was “Tofu and Tempeh” (since it’s a mostly plant-based course) and we made tofu from soy milk— and we made that soy milk from soybeans. As I watched chef Jay do his demo I thought to myself, how can I make this easier for myself at home? Now that I’m away from home all day and when I get home there is snack, homework, soccer, dog, dinner, dog, homework, bath and “please go to bed already!” So I asked, “Chef, can you make this with store-bought soy milk?” To which chef Jay answered “Great question!” Cut to me, beaming with pride. “Why don’t you try it at home?” Cut to me, distraught with an extra assignment.

The chef gave me some nigari (the coagulant/chemical which makes soy milk curdle into tofu curds) and told me to report back. I’m sure there are students who would have smiled, pocked the nigari and let it go at this point. But I am a lifelong nerd and so I immediately bought soy milk and started experimenting.

The first two batches were bunk and when I casually reported this back to Chef Jay (who scares the shit out of all of us) he responded in such a way that suggested that 1. he had completely forgotten about giving me the assignment; and 2. he had potentially completely forgotten who I was.

But I persevered. Because, well, see above. I threw out gallons of not-curdled-enough soy milk until I stumbled upon a recipe that clicked. It was an obscure website and yet there were two post-recipe comments that hit home, both of which alluded to the cook failing multiple times (as I did) and then finding success with this particular method.

It worked. I don’t know if it was the amount of nigari, the stirring configurations, the heating method or the fact that the pot was covered during the process. But the store-bought soy milk formed curds big enough to sequester into my tofu mold, and those curds actually formed a rectangle of delicious (creamy, rich!) tofu.

I’m not necessarily saying that I will make my own tofu from now on…but I’m happy that my experiment finally worked and that I can continue being the nerd that I’ve always been.

birria as technique

Birria tacos. Snore, right? Yeah, it’s been done before. But I’m not here to talk about birria tacos—although I did do a very deep dive into the subject for EATNOM.

In fact, I thought so much about birria tacos, and made so many birria tacos, that I realized that birria tacos are more than a trendy dish. It’s a technique that home cooks can use to make delicious and easy tacos, with or without the traditional Mexican recipe for long-stewed meat.

The technique is the process of “wetting” the tortilla in some kind of broth, stuffing it with a meat-like filling plus cheese, then grilling or frying it on the stovetop. I found that you can even make these tacos ahead of time and keep them on a low heat in the oven to stay warm.

I’ve now practiced this with a variety of tortillas (corn, flour, even low carb), and a variety of fillings (chicken, beef, pork, tofu). It’s the technique of pan-frying the moistened taco that achieves the crispy exterior and melted cheese phenomenon and that makes birria tacos so, well, delicious—and photogenic.

My go-to recipe is usually a small flour tortilla that I dip in hot chicken broth, stuff with shredded chicken and shredded cheese, then pan-fry on a greased skillet. This is the most basic version and it works with so many different ingredients.

Check it out here:

Give it a try! And let me know how it goes.

easy poke

I’m going to tell you a secret—making tuna poke is easier than tuna salad. Seriously. If you can buy some decent raw tuna, you can make this in 4 minutes and it will blow you, and others, away. I made it for the first time from Sam Sifton’s easy recipe but quickly realized it’s basically just raw tuna with some soy sauce and hot sauce. You can throw in some onions, or scallions. Adding a little vinegar or lime juice is nice. A little oil especially sesame oil is great. And then something to add crunch—sesame seeds, crushed nuts, seaweed. You can also add some diced avocado. Taste it and see if you like it. Add salt and pepper. Mix it all up and throw it in the fridge for an hour. You will be happy every time you open the fridge and find that bowl of deliciousness waiting for you. (You can serve it over salad or rice—or just shove some in your mouth as a snack. ) And you’ll have me to thank. You’re welcome.

my new air fryer

So I finally broke down and got the air fryer lid for the Instant Pot which literally turns the IP into an air fryer, though a small one. I figured I’m cooking SO much, it would be a fun tool to play with. And it is. Despite Melissa Clark’s lackluster review, I’ve found it really useful for a few items. One is veggies: brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, shishito peppers— well seasoned with a little olive oil then air fried for about 15 minutes per batch at 400 degrees turns out really yummy little bites of crispy veg. I’ve served them with dinner but also as a pre-dinner snack.

For both the cauliflower and broccoli, I mixed the small florets with 1 tablespoon of olive oil plus a spice mixture (garlic powder, cajun spices, smoked paprika, salt and pepper—but you could use any mixture you like; just use enough to coat). Then air-fried for 15 at 400.

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Chickpeas were good too—crunchy and healthy with just a little bit of oil. A good snack to serve with a cocktail. French fries were amazing—similar to a fast food fry—though you have to air-fry them in small batches to get the right about of crisp. I’ve also thrown in small new potatoes cut in half with just a bit of oil, salt and pepper.

I have yet to try any meats or bigger objects, so I’ll have to check back in when that happens. Perhaps fried chicken or a piece of fish? Stay tuned.

day 8: pizza with nate

Today was a long day. Struggling through home schooling plus working—conference calls and kids at home don’t mix. I wound up working in our big closet. Today’s specials were weak (one was frozen pizza) and one of my customers complained about eating pizza and pasta all the time. Welcome to covid-19. You’re punished.

I did do a desperate cooking “elective” with the kids. They were fighting non-stop so I just screamed: Who wants to do a cooking project and who wants to do TypingPal? Cooking was suddenly very popular. I quickly thought of a recipe while they wrestled on the floor—one I wrote about on this blog when Nate was about four. When I made Nate read the post aloud, he realized I’ve been writing about him for years. (Is this me? he asked incredulously.) We made the amazingly easy two-ingredient dough (which is a great quarantine kid-cooking project by the way!)

Then Nate had a Zoom call with a buddy. (Two 10-year-old boys trying to chit-chat can be painful but also cute. And also just shows us how strange this whole period is: when is the last time two fifth grade boys asked each other about their kitchens?)

And who hasn’t been outside or showered in 3 days, raise your hand!

go-to green sauce

It’s summer which means the deer have arrived and they’re hungry. But this year for some reason our much-aligned deer are eating the Hostas that Michael so tenaciously planted in the giant planter he built from scratch (Suburban living has hit hard), and leaving my little herb box alone. So my herbs (parsley, basil, oregano , dill and chives) are growing like crazy.

I love seeing the flowing plants—so many herbs!—but I honestly don’t know if I can keep up. How much oregano can you use? Even when you cook as much as I do, there are only so many uses for fresh herbs. My new go-to use-it-up recipe is an oversimplified version of chimichurri/salsa verde which we can just call green sauce—recipe below. I keep it in the fridge and have used it to marinade a pork loin, on grilled fish, chicken and bread, and mixed in yogurt for a dip/sauce. It’s an easy way to add flavor and herbs to a dish without much effort.

go-to green sauce

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Author: Shana Liebman

prep time: 5 Mcook time: total time: 5 M

Use as a marinade, sauce or add to yogurt for a dip.

ingredients:

• A handful of herbs
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2-1 cup olive oil
• salt/pepper to taste

instructions:

How to cook go-to green sauce

1. Put 2 garlic cloves, a handful of herbs, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender and puree. Slowly add olive oil until it’s a paste. (You can add more oil as it ages.) Store in refrigerator.

Created using The Recipes Generator

it's a wrap

During Michael’s recent low-carb resolution, and while mourning the loss of his beloved sandwich, I saw a brief segment on some talk show about using collard greens as a sandwich wrap. It turns out it works really well! Take the stem mostly off then soak leaf in simmering hot water for about 3-5 minutes. Dry off on a paper towel and wrap your filling starting at the bottom, then sides, then roll up. You can soak a few leaves at a time and then store them in a paper towel in tupperware in the fridge until ready to use.

It’s a good, healthy, low carb container for leftovers or your regular sandwich filling—turkey, cheese, tuna, even a hot dog. Then again, if bread is your thing, please forget everything I’ve said.

theater party

Theatrical Bruschetta

I volunteered to make party food for the Irvington Theater’s season-kick-off benefit party this weekend. It’s a lovely organization that I’m excited to be a part of—and excited to be bringing some exciting stuff to this often-sleepy town.

I wanted to make a range of finger foods that had some theatrical color and variety and came up with a spread of different bruschetta. There’s an artichoke and parmesan; beet and goat cheese; red pepper and goat cheese and one with plum chutney and prosciutto.

The decision what to make was based, as usual, on what was on hand—and started with those weird green plums we got from the CSA. They were small and sour and no one was eating them so I boiled them with with some sugar, wine and water until they were pulpy and mushy. That’s basically what chutney is. I paired them with their opposite— salty crispy proscuitto fried in a pan and added a thin layer of the goat cheese mixture (goat cheese mixed with cream cheese for extra spreadability) below it all to soften the blow.

The beets were also CSA remnants, which I roasted in tin foil then peeled and mixed with some cider vinegar and salt. The red peppers were even easier—a bottle of roasted red pepper from Costco that I diced and mixed with red wine vinegar, garlic, sugar, pepper flakes, and teaspoon salt. Those also went over the goat cheese spread, although a whipped feta would work too.

Left: Costco bottle pureed vs. right: Cook’s Illustrated recipe

Finally the artichokes—I used a Cook’s Illustrated recipe that pureed canned artichoke hearts with basil, garlic, olive oil, lemon and parmesan but after realizing that the artichokes I bought in bulk were already swimming in an olive-oil mixture—I tried just pureeing the chokes with a bit of the liquid from the bottle and that worked too (a little more acidic than the original but definitely delicious—and since this version was extra I combined it with some sour cream for a dip I was asked to bring to a Friday night dinner party.

I rounded it out with rosemary roasted nuts that I always make for Thanksgiving, crudite with a green goddess dip (made with all the herbs that were beginning their goodbyes in our garden) and a puff pastry cracker. Plus a couple basic cheeses and olives, all of which cost me a total of less than $100 to make. If it weren’t such a lovely non-profit, I would have quoted a much higher price.

gift basket

Michael’s co-worker heard that I was making foodie gifts and requested a basket for her friend’s anniversary celebration. Here’s what I came up with…

Serrano Blanco (Fresh pepper infused tequila)

Pickled Watermelon Rinds

Beef Jerky

Boozy Cherry Chutney

Garlic-Herb Salt

Bacon Onion Jam

Mocha Cocoa (Add to hot milk for delicious hot chocolate)

Raspberry-Basil Syrup

with gin, lemon and seltzer

It’s a great gift—email me to request one!

my new favorite diy

One of the new items I've been experimenting with is homemade garlic and herb salt. You know that nasty chalky McCormick garlic salt that's been in your pantry for years? Throw it out. This one is easy and makes everything taste better. Seriously. I've tried it on eggs, humous, guacamole, sauteed veggies, salad dressing and roast chicken. I now sprinkle it on a bagel and cream cheese (instant everything bagel!) Try it on top of toast with mayo (or spinach humous pictured above) and fresh summer tomatoes. It elevates flavor and adds a richness without overpowering. Cardboard up next. 

It does however take some upper body strength, so feel free to cancel today's gym plans. Or just order one from me—below!

Garlic Herb Salt

jammin' now

I'm learning that mush is good. Fruits and veggies cooked down with lots of good flavor is a wonderful thing. For example, two of the latest creations (which both are amazing accompaniments to grilled meat, sandwiches or cheese)...

Boozy Cherry Chutney

And an onion jam which starts with bacon fat...so nothing bad can happen. 

Bacon Onion Jam