Tofu "Chorizo" Street Tacos

I live in SF's Mission, where a taco is and always has been a flat, relatively soft tortilla with grilled meat (or, sometimes, other fillings) piled on it, and I sometimes forget that a lot of people think of a taco as a hard tortilla formed into a sort of U-shape with stuff like lettuce in it in addition to the meat. This was another improvised recipe that I realized is not only vegetarian but vegan, but even if you're a meat eater (like me), I think it's good enough that it can stand up next to any Al Pastor or Carne Asada. Freezing the tofu is a trick I discovered by accident, and it works great to give it a different texture. Any chili powder will work, but if you have access to different varieties, I prefer New Mexico or Chimayo chili powder.

Ingredients:

1 block firm tofu

8 corn tortillas

Small onion, chopped fine

Handful of cilantro, chopped

1 ripe avocado

3 tablespoons cooking oil

1 teaspoon chili powder (more or less, to taste)

Dash cumin

Dash garlic powder

Tomato salsa

 Makes 4 servings/8 tacos

Do Ahead:

Cut tofu into small cubes (about the size of craps table dice or smaller) and freeze in a plastic bag.

To prepare:

Tortilla on the burner.

Thaw tofu (you can do it in hot water if you're in a hurry) Squeeze out all excess moisture from tofu. Chop/crumble tofu.

Heat cooking oil in skillet and, when hot, add tofu and half of the chopped onion. Keep the tofu moving with a spatula so it doesn't stick to bottom of pan. Cook until the tofu is slightly browned. Add chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder and cook for about 30 seconds more. The tofu and spice mix should be reddish and look sort of like cooked chorizo. Remove from heat.

Heat tortillas -- you can either do this in a warm oven for a few minutes or, like I do, directly over a burner. Set a burner to low, toss the tortilla directly onto it, and keep a close eye on it (don't go do something else while the tortilla is heating unless you want a tortilla fire on your hands!) When the edges of the tortilla just start to singe, flip it over and do the other side. Repeat for all 8 tortillas.

Arrange two tortillas on a plate, add the tofu "chorizo", garnish with chopped onion, cilantro, avocado, and tomato salsa, and enjoy. 

Valentine's Dinner: Lobster Gnocchi with Walnut Lemon Brown Butter Sauce.

This isn't an original recipe, rather, it's a modification/simplification of a New York Times recipe.

In my version, I used packaged gnocchi, prepared according to the directions on the package. Rather than whole lobster tails, I used frozen lobster tails, thawed and broiled. And I reworked the sauce a little, most notably, clarifying the butter rather than just browning it. And, as I was cooking it on Valentine's day, I adjusted the recipe for two.

2 Lobster tails
1/2 package potato gnocchi
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped.
1 lemon
Fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese
Olive oil (for oiling lobster tails)

Preparation - Thaw lobster tails in fridge or under cold running water. Toast walnuts on pie plate or cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until they just start to brown. After walnuts are toasted, set oven to Broil so it's ready for the lobster tails.

Sauce: Melt butter and bring to a boil. As it cooks, a thick foam will rise to the top. Spoon this foam off and discard (if you're using salted butter, this will also pull out a lot of the salt). What's left should be a clear liquid. Keep at a simmer and cook until the butter is slightly brown. Add walnuts and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and grate in lemon zest from lemon (I use a microplane grater). Let cool several minutes and add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Grate in a few grates of cheese and a pinch of pepper.

Lobster: Oil the thawed lobster tails and broil shell side up for 4 minutes, flip and broil shell side down for another 3-4 minutes. Split open and remove lobster meat and slice/shred it.

Gnocchi: prepare according to directions on package. I find it's best to make the gnocchi last since overcooking it can make it mushy, and it generally takes only a few minutes to cook.

Once the gnocchi is cooked, arrange it on a plate with the lobster and spoon the sauce on top. Grate additional cheese to taste and enjoy!

Red Snapper with Apricot-Shallot glaze

I frequently reverse-engineer recipes from outstanding meals I encounter while traveling. This recipe was inspired by the scored flounder in apricot-shallot glaze at the Pink House in Savannah, Georgia.

4 red snapper fillets (about 1 lb total)
1 T butter
1 T diced shallot
2 T apricot jam
1/2 T coarse grain mustard
dash of salt
dash of pepper
dash of cayenne pepper

Preheat broiler.

Melt butter in small saucepan. Add shallots and saute for a few minutes under medium heat.  Reduce heat, add jam, mustard and salt/pepper/cayenne. Stir until combined and remove from heat.

Arrange the snapper fillets on broiler pan. Spoon about half the apricot glaze over the fillets and broil for 10-12 minutes or until done. Remove from broiler and spoon remaining glaze over the fillets.

In the photo above, I'm serving the snapper with asparagus and black rice. You could also accompany it with grits and greens.

Tuesday Brunch: Poached Eggs, Smoked Trout & Spinach over Potato Cakes.

The canned smoked trout is from Trader Joes - this would probably be good with any smoked fish. For the spinach I use bagged baby spinach, which has become a kitchen staple for me -- I also use it sauteed with a little lemon zest as a quick side dish.

For 4 servings:

Ingredients:
1.5 cup frozen hash browns (the shredded kind)
5 eggs
3 chopped green onions
2.5 tablespoons cooking oil
2 teaspoon flour (either wheat or gluten free works)
2 cups baby spinach
1 4 oz. can of smoked trout
Green Salsa (I used Mrs. Renfro's)
Salt
Pepper

To make potato cakes:
Crack ONE of the eggs in a bowl, add flour and half of the green onions and stir with a fork. Add the frozen hash browns -- if they're stuck together or have ice crystals, rinse them in a colander under hot water and drain before adding. Stir until everything is blended and season with a dash of salt and pepper.

Heat TWO of the tablespoons of oil in a shallow skillet. When oil is hot, use a spoon to drop potato mix into the skillet to make four pancakes. Saute until the bottom of the cake is golden brown, and then flip over and saute the other side.

While potato cakes are cooking:
Saute spinach in for a few minutes in the remaining half-tablespoon of oil.
Poach 4 eggs (I use an egg poacher - bring the water to a boil, crack eggs into the poacher cups and let them cook for about 4 minutes for firm whites, runny center)

When everything's done, place pancakes on plates, top each with spinach and a poached egg. Garnish with remaining green onions and a spoonful of green salsa.