Marinated Tofu With Vegetables Veracruz Style
Adapted from Eddie Garza's Tofu Veracruzana, from his cookbook ¡Salud! Vegan Mexican Cookbook, this recipe just makes me so happy. The vibrant elements of tastes and textures took a humble block of tofu and made it divine. I made some alterations as I didn't have everything exactly as written, so it's a pretty adaptable recipe. If you like tofu, wake up your taste buds and give this one a try.
Ingredients
For the tofu and marinade:
- 1 14 ounce block organic extra firm tofu
- 4 garlic cloves minced, divided in half
- 1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the vegetables:
- 1/4 medium red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 medium red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1/2 medium yellow bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 radish sliced in half moons
- 1 tomatillo husk removed and sliced into half moons
- 4 cherry tomatoes quartered
- 2 small Serrano peppers sliced thinly sliced
For the sauciness:
- 1/2 cup tomato puree I used Mutti brand Tomato Passata
- 1/2 cup white wine I used Chardonnay
- 1/2 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon capers
- 1 tablespoon butter
For the garnish:
- 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
- 1 slice red onion quartered
- 6 Castelvetrano olives sliced thinly
Instructions
For the tofu and marinade:
- Drain the tofu and wrap in a clean dish towel. Place on a microwave safe dish and microwave for one minute. Swap out the towel for another clean dry one, and microwave for one minute more. Unwrap and let cool, then slice into 3 large planks.
- In a dish that will fit all the planks in one layer, add half the minced garlic, vegetable broth, lime juice, Mexican oregano, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Gently place the tofu in the marinade and after a 30 seconds or so flip them over in the marinade. Do this a couple more times, then cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. Drain the liquid and save it for another use.
- In a large non-stick frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat and fry the tofu slabs for 4 to 6 minutes on each side until they are brown and crispy. Remove them from the pan, cut each slab into quarters, and set aside.
For the vegetables:
- Add the onions, peppers, radishes, tomatillos, tomatoes, and Serranos to the pan and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened.
For the sauciness:
- Add the tomato passata and wine and continue to heat and blend everything together for another 4 minutes. Then stir in the butter, add olives and capers, and mix until everything is blended and heated through.
For the garnish:
- Remove from the heat, spread out over a platter, and garnish with cilantro, onion and olive slices.