DivineShe Cooks

The Tale of Judith's Tofu (It's What We Do)

  Sorry it's been such a long time between postings, bloggers. It must seem like I dropped off the face of the earth, but I haven't...

  Y'all remember the Schultz Fire, back in June? The fire destroyed the forest floor over 15,000 acres on the east face of our mountain, burning so hot that the exposed soil became water repellent. When the annual monsoon rains began, a wall of water and mud poured off the slopes, inundating neighborhoods below and temporarily closing the highway east of Flagstaff. There was simply not enough time between the fire and the onset of the rains to prepare the community. Our home is on the west side of the mountain, so we, our dogs, and our property are fine, but the east side of town is a disaster area, and will be for years to come, until the soil recovers and the forest floor can be stabilized.

  Sooo...when I haven't been finishing up landscaping projects here at home, Kris and I have been out off highway 89, filling sandbags. It's amazing how the community has come together to help, providing food and water, mucking knee-deep mud out of houses, digging trenches, sandbagging, clearing culverts. It's something that feels so fundamentally... American. It's what we do.

  
   And so, in the wake of two natural disasters, it's no surprise that I've been reminded lately of Judith, a lovely old soul who came to live with us for a few weeks following Hurricane Katrina. She was an evacuee passing through town on her way to nowhere, with no family, limited resources, happy to have gotten out alive. Tired and disheveled, she ran out of steam in Flagstaff and called the local Unity minister, who brought her to our door.

  There's alot to tell about the few weeks she came to ground here; suffice it to say that memories of Judith are among the finest and most pleasurable I have. A retired chef, she left us, too, with one of my favorite recipes, which I call, simply, "Judith's Tofu."

 

  To make Judith's Tofu, assemble the following:

• a pound or so of tofu, pressed and drained,  cut to 1/2" dice
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2-3 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed in a mortar and pestle
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Braggs Liquid Aminos
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil (look for it at your health food store; if you can't find it, olive oil will do), or enough to thoroughly coat the bottom of your fry pan
  

   Heat the coconut oil in a large saute pan over medium heat, then add the tofu and onions and cook until the onions become translucent, stirring gently a couple of times with the back of a spoon (using the back of the spoon prevents the tofu from crumbling). When the onion is translucent, add the rosemary and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes more. It will smell divine - especially if you've used coconut oil. I don't have a precise measurement for this next step, but I can describe it. Open your bottle of Bragg's Liquid Aminos and pour it into the tofu in the pan, to a depth of about 1/4". Can you see how deep it is in the pan? You want it to come no more than halfway up the sides of a cube of tofu sitting flat in the pan. Just pour slowly and watch carefully the first time you make this, and it will be just fine...

  Stir the Bragg's in a bit, cover the pan with a lid, then lower the heat to simmer and walk away from it for about 12 minutes. Stir once more then re-cover and allow to finish cooking for another 12 minutes or so. Stir in the lemon juice then cook, uncovered, for another couple of minutes to mingle the flavors. Oh, this smells sooo goooood! The lemon, the rosemary, the salty  pungent Bragg's...this stuff is heaven on a plate, I promise! It's so good I proudly serve it to dinner guests. Oh - and leftovers make an awesome wrap the next day, along with leftover kale or fresh spinach, or maybe steamed mung bean sprouts, or...you get the idea.

  Judith's Tofu is usually plated with brown rice and another household favorite, Steamed Kale with Carrots and Onions. To make this easy and elegant side dish, simply layer coarsely chopped fresh kale, diagonally sliced carrots, and sliced onions in a steamer basket, and steam until the kale wilts and the carrots are tender-crisp.

   Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and/or lemon juice, and serve.

  I didn't have time today to cook brown rice, and so, with vegetables plentiful from the garden, steamed a couple of fat yellow squashes instead. Doesn't it make a pretty plate?

   Bless you Judith, wherever you've landed. Thanks for coming to stay, and for leaving us with this wonderful reminder of a rich and zesty few weeks in 2005.

  And thank YOU for playing in Spike's Kitchen! Enjoy! Come again soon! I promise to post a bit more often...

Memphis Style Pulled BBQ and Fire on the Mountain (very loosely related)

   If there was an award for "Worst Blog Mommy of the Month," I believe I might qualify for June. Blogs need regular care and feeding; mine are neglected and all but starving to death.

  There have been extenuating circumstances, though, and matters way beyond my humble control. Well, some matters. 

  Last Saturday, I had just begun to gather my thoughts for posting tamale recipes when I smelled smoke. Pine smoke. Our mountain town, Flagstaff, sits in the middle of a beautiful, lush ponderosa pine forest - a recreational paradise laced with traces and trails, cinder hills and hidden washes. Wild forest lands interface throughout the city, and in many of our parks you'd never know you were still in town...Pine smoke during fire season is usually a bad sign. Stepping outside to investigate, this was on the southern horizon...

...the Hardy fire, burning hot and moving explosively inside the city limits, fed by drought and 35 mph winds, headed in our general direction. We packed a "bug-out" bag and waited by the radio for information. Although several neighborhoods were evacuated, including the Coconino Humane Association compound, we were not among the evacuees, thank goodness. Several fire/air resources already working a fire about 20 miles to the northwest were diverted to stomp on it...

   As the wind subsided overnight, and evening temperatures moved in, the fire began to lie down and be less aggressive. Firefighters worked through the night, and although it's not yet fully contained, huge sigh of relief was felt throughout Flagstaff. Until Sunday afternoon...

...when the Schultz fire exploded on the mountain to the northeast of our home, and the mad scramble began anew. It spread rapidly through the dry forest driven, again, by high winds. Prayers were said for the safety of hikers, campers and cyclists who may have been trapped in one of Flagstaff's most popular outdoor recreation areas (at the end of the day, all were safely accounted for). Little information was available for the next couple of hours, except evacuation orders, including Second Chance Center for Animals, the animal rescue organization where Humane Society animals had been sent by the Hardy fire the previous day.

  With no information about this second fire available yet, Kris and I drove around a bit, trying to get a feel for where it was located, and which way it was headed...this was the view from Buffalo Park, just west of our neighborhood.

  Going to Buffalo Park gave us a feel for the scope of the fire, but not much information about its location, so we drove further, out to Cosnino, toward the east. This was taken about two hours after the start of the fire...

  Somewhat reassured that our home was safe, and that we were well removed from the need to evacuate, we drove home across Rt. 66. Air resources were already deployed, trying to keep the fire out of neighborhoods at the foot of the mountain. A helicopter is visible in this photo, in the area where the mountain meets the trees in the foreground...

  Situated just across the highway from the fire, Second Chance Center for Animals (along with Humane Society animals evacuated from the Hardy fire) was ordered to evacuate to the county fairgrounds. I am SO impressed at how efficiently the move went! Forty-five minutes from the time the order went out, all the animals, their records, the mobile clinic, and staff had been relocated! Incredible job.

  When the call went out for supplies, blankets, and volunteers I couldn't stay put any longer, drove over to see how I might be of help, and wound up spending an intense week. Walking dogs, cleaning cages, doing laundry, feeding animals and humans (who, btw, LOVED the quinoa tabouli!), taking pictures and pitching in wherever until a couple of days ago, when the animals were allowed home.

  This is a view of the fire Monday evening (day 2), taken on the way home from the fairgrounds.

   My home is located at the base of the mountain to the right of the photo, near that first canyon.

  The fairgrounds was a staging area for several of the hotshot crews, and directly on the helicopters' flight path from the lake to the fire...

  The helicopters hover over a lake and suck water up through that dangly hose-thingy, then fly over to the fire. Trapdoors in the bottom open to drop the water on the fire. Way fracking cool!

These are just a few of the new friends I made throughout the week...

  Police officers found a billy-goat wandering loose in one of the evacuated neighborhoods and brought him to the fairgrounds in a patrol car. We aptly named him "Chagall," after the painter...

  It was dirty, smelly, exhausting work, but so completely gratifying. I love how our mountain town pulls together in a crisis.

  Finally, I want to talk about this guy. I don't know his name or where he comes from, but he and about 800 of his co-workers have been doing this, day-in and day-out, round the clock, in the woods near my home. Nine days from the start, the fire has consumed 23 square miles and is at 65% containment, but with with no loss of life and no structural losses, largely due to the work these men and women do. Blessings on them all...we can't thank them enough.

(photo linked from MSNBC)

  This has become a pretty long post, with lots of photos. There's more to say, and many more photos to share; if you'd like to see more pictures, I'll be posting them in a folder in the right sidebar in the next couple of days.

  Now, since this is a food blog, I've got to put some sort of food thing in here, albeit at the end...

  My cooking-challenged companion, Kris, back at home, still needed to eat while I was away. Here's one of the ways I kept her fed while I was out feeding the dogs. Made in a crock-pot slow cooker, the original recipe calls for 2 pounds of boneless pork butt. Being out of pork and with no time to shop, I substituted skinless chicken legs and thighs...Vegetarians, I wouldn't try this with tofu, but you might give tvp or tempeh a whirl. If you do, let me know how it comes out, okay?

Memphis Brewed Pulled BBQ Chicken

• 1 bottle of brown beer
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon ground mustard powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon smoke flavoring
• sprinkle of dried crushed red chilies
• 3 or so pounds skinless chicken legs and thighs
• 1 medium onion, diced
  

Combine everything but the chicken and onion in a crock pot, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the chicken parts and onion and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove the chicken to a bowl, extracting the bones and any undissolved gristle, then shred the meat using two forks. Return the meat to the crock pot and cook for another hour. Serve on buns with toppings and sides of your choice. YUM!

 It's been an intense hairy week. Thanks for hanging in here with me, checking to see if I've posted anything. Tamale recipes coming soon, I promise!

  Glad to be back in Spike's Kitchen, and not in Hell's Kitchen up on the mountain! Come again soon.

Asian BBQ Tofu (or Chicken Wings) with Spring Roll and Spinach Saute

  You almost have to feel sorry for the humble bean curd. Much maligned, mainly by people who've never consumed it properly prepared, it has gained such a bad rap that folks who've never even tasted it tend to make the sign against the evil eye while running fast and far away. It's been firmly relegated to the "ick" food group - a sad occurrence for any edible.

  Now don't get me wrong. Poorly prepared tofu has a humungeous ick factor, and once upon a time, in a lifetime many years past, I didn't much care for it either, not until I learned the secrets of working with it. Marinating it, broiling, baking, grilling it, crumbling, creaming it, the lowly bean curd becomes...truly delectable. Think I'm crazy? Well, that's okay, just keep a teeny little bit of an open mind, and you can be crazy, too.

   To get started on the Asian BBQ Tofu, here's what you'll need: 1/4 cup of honey, 1/4 cup of ketchup, 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons molasses, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 clove of garlic smashed and minced, 1/2 cup of sugar, and a 1 pound (more or less...) carton of extra firm tofu (not silken). Combine everything but the tofu in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and then simmer for a few minutes. The smell of this sauce will convince anyone that there's a divine being who loves them...

  While the sauce is cooling, you can start prepping the tofu. Carefully slit the layer of plastic sealing the carton, then flip the carton over onto the palm of your hand to remove the tofu from the packaging and then rinse the block gently under cool water. Oh, you'll want to do this over the sink...

  The next step is most important. It is the step that most people who try to fix bean curd skip - which is why they just can't make it taste good...bean curd is full of this funky
tasting watery stuff, and we'll want to squeeze as much of this out as possible. The easy way to accomplish this is to place the block of tofu in a pie plate, place a second pie plate (cake pan, whatever) on top of it, then set a jar of water or, say, a 28 oz. can of tomatoes on top of it all. You will be amazed at how much liquid squeezes out. Really. Another reason for pressing the tofu like this is that with the liquids out of the way, the tofu can absorb more of the flavor we're going to infuse it with. Set a timer for half an hour and walk away...or now might be a good time to start the spring rolls.

  I don't really have a set recipe for spring roll; sometimes they have specific fillings, but most of the time they're filled with whatever odds and ends I happen to have hanging around in the fridge - scallions,
celery, carrot, lettuce, cucumber, spinach or other greens, leftover tofu, noodles, shrooms, seafood, cilantro, basil, really - whatever. The important thing about spring roll filling is for each component to retain its unique flavor, which means not chopping the filling like you were making a coleslaw. The rule of thumb, quantity-wise, is to have about a half cup of julienned and/or leafy vegetables for each roll, and two rolls per serving. Slivered veggies can be sprinkled with a bit of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, lemon or lime juice, or any combination. Be creative, have fun, and play with your food!

  Now that your filling is prepared,
it's time to start rolling. Spring roll wrappers can be found in some of the big food chains, but mostly you'll find them at an oriental or international grocery, or online. (The photo on the right is what you're looking for) Soften the spring roll skins one at a time in a large bowl filled with hot water, until they become just pliable. Set the softened wrapper on a flat surface. I tried really hard to make a photographic demo of filling the rolls, but seeing as I needed an extra set of hands to wrap and shoot at the same time, it just wasn't happening...So, I went online to find a good instructional video, which you can see by clicking here.

  Somewhere in all this, the timer for the draining tofu will have gone off...so, slice the tofu into serving portions between 3/8" and 1/2" thick, figuring about a quarter pound per person. Cover the bottom of a flat container with the cooled sauce, lay the tofu flat in the container, then cover with sauce. Set the covered container in the fridge for about half an hour, while you finish making the spring roll.

  Arrange the finished rolls on a serving tray, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in the refrigerator until time to eat. My favorite dipping sauce is pretty simple: 1/4 cup of soy sauce with the juice of half a lemon or 1 lime, a bit of fresh garlic, dried chilies, and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil. 

  When you're ready to bake the tofu, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously oil a cooling rack with non-stick cooking spray, and place over a sheet pan. Gently remove the tofu from the marinade and place on the rack, spooning some of the remaining sauce over the tofu. Bake for 30 minutes in the center of your oven, then place under the broiler for a few minutes to caramelize the sauce. Alternatively, you could cook the tofu entirely under the broiler, turning once, keeping a close eye to prevent the sauce from scorching. I just don't like having to tend broiled food...

  Coming down the home stretch, the last five minutes the tofu's cooking is time to start the spinach. Cover the bottom of a large skillet with oil, set over med-high flame and add 2 cloves minced garlic. Fry the garlic until it turns golden brown, then add 1/2 pound of fresh baby spinach, a handful at a time. Stir and toss until the juices have been released and evaporated. Remove from the heat and drizzle with the juice of half a lemon.

  Pull the tofu from the oven, and start plating! This should serve four people for dinner, generously. For a heartier meal, you could plate the tofu over brown rice or quinoa, with a little heated sauce drizzled over both. Yum! Leftovers make excellent filling for wraps, and are divine in spring rolls the next day...

  Tofu, it's not just for compost anymore!

  Thanks for visiting Spike's Kitchen; now go play with your food!

Note: If you can't be tempted to try the BBQ Tofu, the sauce is equally divine on chicken wings. Toss about 2 lbs of chicken wings with the sauce, pour into a roasting pan and bake at 425 degrees for about 45 minutes. OMG! Suck-the-bones good!