Monday, August 10, 2009

You Can't Always Get What You Want

We have been eating like kings now that summer is unleashing its bounty upon us. Grilled tofu or veggie burgers have been flanked with fresh local corn and potatoes, as well as peas, beans, lettuce, and tomatoes from our garden. Ontario peaches and blueberries, along with our raspberries, have made for the most wonderful fruit salads. While all this has been awesome its not particularly blog-worthy, so I thought I would regale you tales of dishes that didn't quite make it.
First up: my attempt at a roasted Sunday dinner. I made this back in the early spring when the weather was crisp and cold (and snowy) and I was in the mood for that sweet taste vegetables get when they are roasted. I loaded everything into a clay baker and topped it with some tofu that had been quickly fried and coated in balsamic vinegar. The end result was disappointing. I didn't season the veggies enough and I think the whole thing needed a gravy of some sort. I will revisit this in the fall.Next up: I was going to call this Shaked and Baked Tofu. It was good, but not much different from other recipes I have made (like baked tofu for kids). Calzones with white beans and white sauce. This was actually very tasty but was such a minor spin on this recipe that I didn't think it warranted its own post. Just use white beans instead of seitan, and use a simple white sauce instead of spaghetti sauce. Lastly, Thai noodles with baked tofu. This one I want to rework very soon. First, I let my noodles soak too long and they broke up in the wok. Secondly, I finally found some tamarind but I squandered it in this dish. I would like to make a nice tamarind chili paste and come back to rework the flavours.