Tofu Banh Mi

Here is part two of my 2-part series on making Banh Mi for a holiday (or some other kind of) party.  Now that you have your baguettes fresh from the oven, it's time to top them and eat!  This recipe makes a lot, so if it is just for you, cut the tofu and marinade in half.  You can get away with marinading the tofu, and picking the carrot/daikon, for a few hours, but it all tastes better if you make it the day before.  You will have some tofu left over, so just save it for tomorrow. 

INGREDIENTS
- 2 pkgs of firm tofu, cut into 16 slices each

Marinade
- 1/2 cup light soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp Sriracha
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp mined fresh ginger

Carrot-Daikon Pickle
Double the recipe if you like lots of pickle
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 11oz grated carrot (about 1 1/3 cup)
- 11oz grated daikon (about 1 1/3 cup)
- 1 whole star anise

- sliced cucumber (I use a vegetable peeler to get long, thin slices)
- Vegenaise
- chopped cilantro (optional)

METHOD
Prep the Tofu
1. Whisk together the marinade ingredients.  You can mash the garlic and ginger together with a mortar and pestle if you desire.  Place sliced tofu in a large baking dish and pour marinade over.  It is OK to stack pieces of tofu on top of one another--just make sure there is marinade between the slices.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Make the Pickle
1. Bring vinegar, water, and sugar to boil in a saucepan.  Add ginger, carrot, and daikon, and bring back to boiling.  Remove from heat and add the star anise.  Pour into a large glass jar, and bring to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Bake the Tofu
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Adjust oven racks so you can bake two baking sheets at a time.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Place 16 pieces of tofu on each sheet.  Brush generously with the marinade.
3. Bake for 10 mins, then flip tofu and brush generously with marinade.  Switch the rack that the sheets are on, and bake for another 10-15 mins.  Tofu should be dry and slightly crisp on the edges.

Assemble the Sandwiches and Serve
1. Cut baguettes horizontally.  Spread Vegenaise liberally on the inside (not traditional, I know, but I like it).  Top with tofu (I like to overlap the tofu 1/2 on the piece underneath instead of side by side).  Top with sliced cucumber, and then with drained pickle.  Top with chopped cilantro, if desired.
2. Slice each baguette into 8-10 pieces each and serve.

Banh Mi Baguettes

This is part one of a two-post series on making Banh Mi for a holiday party.  Yes, I know that Vietnamese sandwiches don't usually immediately jump to mind when planning a North American holiday party, but I have received very positive feedback on these.  I first made them for the vegans at our faculty association's holiday fling so that we could get some protein and not get relegated to the dip-less veggie tray.  They were a grand success and were enjoyed by veg and non-veg alike.

The trick is getting the right bread.  First time around I made a standard french baguette.  Fail.  The bread was far too chewy which meant people gnawing away while toppings came shooting out everywhere (all while trying to balance a drink and talk).  I have never actually had an authentic Banh Mi so I had to turn to the internets.  Lots of talk of light and crispy bread, and everyone was sure there was rice flour in the dough somewhere.  But few recipes.  I tried using some rice flour, but the end result was always dense and chewy.  So, I ended up going with a kind of baguette/hoagie roll hybrid--an enriched dough that can be made fairly quickly, has great flavour, has a soft crumb and crispy crust.

I weighed the flour, so the cup equivalents are pretty close--start with a little less and add more flour if needed.  Use a scale if you have one.

This makes 3 large baguettes.  If you are not having a party, half the recipe and make two smaller baguettes or a number of smaller buns.  I won't lay any claim to authenticity, only tastiness.

INGREDIENTS
Makes 3 large baguettes
- 12 oz/340g/2 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 12 oz/340g/2 1/3 bread flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 8 oz/1cup lukewarm water
- 7 oz/scant 3/4 cup lukewarm soy milk
- 1 tbsp instant (not rapid-rise) yeast (or active dry)
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil

METHOD
1. Whisk together flours, salt, and sugar.  Whisk water and soy milk together, then whisk in yeast until dissolved.  Add liquid ingredients to dry, add oil, and bring together into a soft dough.
2. Knead for 5-8 mins, until smooth.  Shape into a ball, place in a large oiled bowl (turning dough to coat), cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 1 hr).
3.  Punch down dough, reshape into a ball, then place back into the bowl.  Cover and let rise until doubled again.
4. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces, trying not to degas the dough too much.  Shape as you would a french baguette (about 16 inches long--whatever will fit on your baking stone), then place in a couche, mist with oil, cover (I use plastic wrap to keep the crust soft), to rise for about 45 mins, or until almost doubled.
5. While dough is rising, place a baking stone in the middle of the oven and a steam pan on the bottom rack.  Preheat to 450 degrees.
6. Right before baking, slash each baguette right down the middle along the length of the baguette.  Slash about 1/3 of the way into the baguette (don't slash too shallow).
7. Transfer the baguettes from the couche to the baking stone and pour 1/2 cup of hot water into the steam pan.  Reduce heat to 400 degrees and bake for 10 mins.  Rotate loaves and bake for another 10 mins.
8. Remove bread to a cooling rack.

Up next!

Savoury Lentil Vol-au-Vent with Ginger Applesauce

These are officially my new favourite appetizer for the holiday season.  Or, make the vol-au-vent bigger and you have your entrée.  The lentil filling is amazing, so don't worry if you have leftovers.  I use it as a sandwich filling.

INGREDIENTS
Vol-au-Vent
- 1 lb (i.e. one recipe) puff pastry

Savoury Lentil Filling
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup red lentils
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 shallots, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup finely diced celery
- 1/4 cup finely grated carrot
- 1/2 cup finely diced mushrooms
- 1/2 cup finely diced cooking apple
- 3/4 tsp ground fennel seeds
- 1 tsp ground sage
- large pinch of cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
- 3/4 cup vegetable stock, divided
- salt and pepper to taste

Ginger Applesauce
- 1 tbsp margarine
- 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1.5 cups small diced cooking apple
- 1 tbsp sugar

METHOD
Vol-au-Vent
Makes 8-12, depending on size.
These aren't hard to make, but they take a little skill.  The key here is to roll out the pastry evenly, and to keep the size of your cutter in mind so you don't waste and pastry (i.e. if your pastry is 3.5 times the width of your cutter, you will waste pastry).  You can't re-roll the scraps like you can with with pie pastry.

Don't cut out too much of the middle or the sides will sag, 

as you see here.  Still tasty, though!

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

1. Roll the chilled dough out 1/4" thick on a lightly floured surface.  Cut out as many shapes as you can (you want an even number).  Cut out the centres from half of them.  These will be the tops.

These are the cutters I used

2. Place the bottoms on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Lightly brush with soy milk. making sure you get all the way to the edges. Prick the bottoms several times with a fork.

3. Place the tops on the bottoms and gently press them down so that the two layers adhere.  Gently brush the tops with soy milk.

4. Bake for 20 mins, then reduce heat to 350, rotate pan, and bake for 8-10 mins, until golden all over.
5. Remove pastry to a cooling rack.  While pastry is still warm, scrape the pastry out of the middle with a fork.  Let fully cool before filling.

(So, what do you do with the pastry scraps?  I bake them for 20 mins at 425, then toss in cinnamon and sugar while still warm.)

Savoury Lentil Filling
1. Bring the 3 cups of water to a boil.  Add lentils, reduce heat to med-hi, and boil for 5-6 mins, until lentils soften and begin to expand.  They will be whitish around the edges but still have red centres.   Drain and set aside.
2. While lentils are cooking, heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Gently sauté shallots, garlic, and celery for 5-7 mins, until golden and translucent.
3. Add carrot, mushrooms, and apple.  Cook for about 5 mins, until mushrooms begin to release their water and the apples begin to soften.
4. Add fennel, sage, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Cook for 1 min, until fragrant.
5. Add soy sauce and 1/4 of the vegetable stock.  Cook until liquid reduces down.
6. Add drained lentils, and the remaining 1/2 cup of stock.  Mix well, then cook, uncovered, for about 10 mins, until liquid has almost all reduced, apples are cooked, and lentil are soft but not cooked into a paste.  Stir regularly. Season to taste.  Add more veg stock if you need more cooking time.  Don't dry out the mixture too much.
7. Fill vol-au-vent while mixture is still warm.  Top with ginger applesauce and serve.

Ginger Applesauce
1. Melt margarine over medium heat and sauté ginger for 1 min.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to bubbling.  Reduce heat to med-lo, cover, and cook for about 10 mins, stirring regularly, until apples are soft but still hold their shape.

Easy Puff Pastry

Ah, quick laminated pastry dough.  How I love thee.  This is the recipe that inspired my experimentation with making easy croissants.  It is really easy and produces a remarkably flaky pastry for the amount of time it takes to make.  Again, the lamination process is super fast and the end result, while not as light and flaky as the classic method, will totally impress all of your friends.  Puff pastry recipes to follow in later posts!

INGREDIENTS
Makes 1 lb of dough
- 1.5 cups (7.5oz/235g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (2oz/60g) cake and pastry flour (or more all purpose)
- scant 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 lb (250g) cold margarine or vegetable shortening (I like a 50:50 mix)
- 1/2 cup (4oz/125ml) ice cold water

METHOD
1. Whisk together flour(s) and salt.
2. Use a pastry cutter to cut the fat into the flour.  There should be largish chunks of fat visible--don't cut it down too much.

3. Sprinkle water over the flour/fat mixture and gently mix together with a wooden spoon (you don't want to mash the fat chunks too much).  When you can't incorporate any more flour in, use your hands to gather together a dough ball.  Press/squeeze the flour mixture together to form a dough, rather than kneading.  The final dough will be sticky.
4. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface.  Flour the top of the dough.

Roll into a rectangle, about 7x16 inches.  Make sure everything stays well-floured--keep checking under the dough to make sure it is not sticking.  Square everything up by pressing the dough into the side of a pastry scraper.

5. Fold the top down to the middle, and the bottom to the middle.  Fold in half.  Use the pasty scraper to square everything up.

6. Rotate dough 90 degrees (see pic at the top of this post) and repeat step 5.
7. Wrap dough in plastic wrap or waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before using.


As you can see, I am back blogging.  Life is still busy here, but I really missed creating and posting new recipes.  I have all the wonderful people I met at the Atlanta VegFest to thank for getting me back in the Vegan Dad groove.  I was amazed that so many people knew who Vegan Dad was, still loved the blog, still followed the Facebook page, and who still (despite the explosion of vegan blogs and cookbooks in the past few years) wanted me to post new recipes.  I also had the great fortune to eat lunch and dinner with Isa in Athens (thanks, Janet!).  She has been a supporter of the blog since the very beginning and is a source of vegan inspiration.  So, I'm back.  I'll probably only get a few posts off a month until the book manuscript is in (not a cookbook, I am sorry to say).  Thanks for sticking with me, and let's eat some good food!

Here I am contemplating my future whilst Isa signs my copy of her cookbook.

Roasted Winter Veggies and Tofu with Orange Cranberry Sauce

I thought I would squeak in one last recipe before American Thanksgiving just in case you aren't sure what you are making this year.  I love this method for roasting veggies because it produces a dish reminiscent of the Sunday roasts of my youth.  The potatoes are my absolute favourite.  All of this can be made in one pan, so it makes for a less busy holiday kitchen.  The real key here is the cast iron skillet, so if you don't have one go borrow one.  

INGREDIENTS
Roasted Veggies
- 1/4 cup margarine
- 3 leeks, halved lengthwise and sliced in 1/2 inch slices
- 3 shallots, halved and sliced
- 1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- a variety of winter veggies: 1 used 3 turnips, 6 large Yukon Gold potatoes, and 6 large carrots,   chopped into large chunks (you want enough to fill up your pan)
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- salt and pepper to taste

Tofu with Orange Cranberry Jus
- 1 pkg firm tofu, cut into twelve pieces
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 2 cups vegetable broth (more as needed)
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp poultry spice
- 1/2 cup chopped cranberries
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD
Roasted Veggies
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1. Heat a large 14" cast iron skillet over med-hi heat.  Melt margarine, then saute leeks, shallots, and onion for 5-7 mins, until nice browned and golden.  Add garlic and thyme and saute for 1 min.
2. Add veggies and mix well to coat.  Cook veggies for 5 mins, stirring regularly to heat through.  Add broth and cook for another 5 mins, stirring regularly.  Season to taste.
3.  Place pan in the oven, uncovered.  Roast veggies for about 45 mins, stirring about every 10 mins, until veggies are golden and tender and broth has reduced.

Tofu with Orange Cranberry Jus
1. While veggies are roasting, salt and pepper both sides of the tofu.  Set aside.
2. When veggies are done roasting, remove thyme stems, transfer veggies to a serving bowl and keep warm in the oven.
3. Without cleaning the pan, return it to the stove over med-hi heat.  Melt margarine and add tofu.  Fry on each side for 3-5 mins, until golden.  Add 1/2 cup of the broth, then sprinkle pepper and poultry spice over the tofu.  Mix around and flip tofu, deglazing the pan until the broth has reduced.
4. Add another 1/2 cup of broth and mix around and flip tofu until broth has reduced.  Remove tofu from pan to a serving dish.
5. Increase heat to high.  Add remaining 1 cup of broth, cranberries, sugar, and orange juice.  Add broth reduces, mash the cranberries.  Reduce by about a third, season to taste, then spoon over the top of the tofu.