Sweet and Sour Tofu

I have been trying different ways to work with tofu. It is such a versatile food since it absorbs anything it touches, and it can be prepared many different ways. Here, I took frozen and defrosted super firm tofu, cut it into cubes, breaded and fried it and tossed it with a homemade sweet and sour sauce recipe I found online.

Fried Panko Breaded Tofu

3 cups of peanut or canola oil

1 cup of cornstartch

2 eggs slightly beaten

2 tablespoons of water

3 cups of Panko bread crumbs

1 tablespoon of seasoning ( I use thai five spice seasoning)

Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oil in medium sauce pan to 375 degrees. To prepare the tofu: Freeze and thaw tofu ahead of time. It changes the texture pleasantly and makes it absorb more flavor (though if you haven't done it ahead of time this step isn't completely necessary, but the food will taste better if you do). Gently squeeze any remaining water from the tofu. Line up three bowls, in the first bowl put the cornstarch, in the second, mix the egg and water and in the third mix the panko bread crumbs with the seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Cube the tofu block into 3/4 inch cubes, dredge them in cornstarch and shake off extra , dunk the cubes in the egg and then into the panko bread crumbs and finally into the hot oil. Fry until golden and drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

4 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (If you don't like spicy reduce)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons minced ginger

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 red bell pepper, stemmed,seeded and cut it into squares

One carrot peeled and cut diagonally

2 cups cubed pineapple

1/4 cup green onion, for garnish <-- I used chives

cooked rice (for serving)

In a large sauce pan heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and saute about 30 seconds. Pour the pineapple juice mixture into the saucepan with the ginger and garlic and bring to a boil. Add the carrots and the peppers and cook until the carrots are tender Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar, about 3 minutes. In a small bowl combine the cornstarch and the sherry, mixing well. Add the cornstarch-sherry mixture to the simmering pineapple juice mixture, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes then remove from heat. Add the pineapple chunks.

Mix with tofu and serve over rice. Garnish with chives.

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Homemade Spagetti Noodles with Pesto, Goat Cheese and Grape Tomatoes

This is the first recipe I made using my fresh homemade pasta. The pesto is just a basic pesto recipe and it's spicy garlic taste is toned down by tangy goat cheese and fresh grape tomatoes. It is the perfect recipe for a quick no cook sauce that is both tasty and fresh. Great for using up excess basil you may have lying around.

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
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• Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.

From: www.simplyrecipes.com

Mix cooked pasta with the pesto and add crumbled goat cheese to taste. (I use about 2 oz per 1/4 lb of pasta) Rinse and halve grape tomatoes and toss. Serve immediately.

Homemade Semolina Pasta

As I mentioned before, I love to use my bread machine for cutting time on preparing doughs from scratch. My bread machine has a pasta dough kneading function and I used it for the first time today to make some Semolina pasta. It only takes 14 minutes for my bread machine to mix the dough and then it needs to rest for a half hour (44 minutes that you don't even have to touch the dough. So, in this time you can make a sauce, watch an episode of your favorite show, or catch up on facebook.) In 5 minutes, I can roll and cut it with my pasta machine. Home made fresh pasta cooks in under two minutes so really making pasta from scratch isn't that much more time consuming than cooking commercial pasta, and I promise you, the work put into this is worth it! The taste of fresh pasta is not replicable! Note: You don't need to have a pasta roller/cutter rolling and cutting by hand can be done. Though it will take longer.

Semolina Pasta

(From The bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger)

7/8 cup warm water

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups unbleached all purpose or bread flour

1 cup semolina pasta flour

1 teaspoon salt

Place all the ingredients in the bread pan according to the order in the manufacturer's instructions (I just put them in according to whatever mood I am in. I am not sure it makes a difference maybe it does... but I couldn't tell you) Program for the Dough or the Pasta Dough Cycle; Press Start. Set a kitchen timer for 7 minutes. When the timer rings, check the dough ball that has collected on the blade. It should be firm but pliable. If it is too dry, add a couple drops of water while the machine is kneading. if it is too moist, sprinkle in some all -purpose flour, a teaspoon at a time. Reset the time for 3 more minutes. When the timer rings, press stop to cancel the cycle. (I have actually just left it to go the full 14 minutes and haven't had any problems). Remove the dough from the machine, wrap in plastic wrap, and let sit for 30 minutes.

Click here to watch how to roll pasta by machine This guy uses a mixer attatchment roller, I have a hand crank. To roll by hand, you need a lightly floured surface and rolling pin. Basically you mimic the steps as done with a machine but with your rolling pin. Roll out to the desired thickness... Here is an interesting site that shows how to cut various pasta shapes by hand.

You can use homemade pasta in place of commercial pasta in any recipe.