If you are in a bind trying to serve a main course that is both vegan and yet dramatic looking, look no further!  A tower of tofu and tomatoes!

Chef’s tip: To peel tomatoes, make a shallow “X” on the bottom of the tomatoes.  You want to just run the knife on the tomatoes, not make deep cuts.  Bring a pot of water to boil.  Blanch the tomatoes in the boiling water, for about 30 seconds, then immediately plunge them into a bowl of cold water. Using your fingers, gently slip off the skin starting from the X.

Ingredients:

1 box 12-oz extra firm tofu, drained
1 large yellow onion, sliced
3 small tomatoes, peeled
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Drain tofu and place on a flat plate.  Place another plate on op of the tofu, put a heavy can of beans on top of the plate to weigh down the plate and drain the tofu for 10 minutes.  Pour off any liquids.
2. Slice onions thinly and soak them in a big bowl of cold water for 10 minutes, drain.
3. Peel the tomatoes and discard skin.  Chop tomatoes coarsely.
4.  In a small saute pan, heat the olive oil.  When it’s warm, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and saute till they pop.  Add the drained onions, and saute for 2 minutes till it’s wilted but still light in color.  Add the chopped tomatoes and salt and cook for another 5 minutes until the tomatoes has reduced and coat the onion.  Adjust seasoning if necessary.
5. Cut the tofu block into half.  Slice each half into four pieces.
6. Build the napoleon by sandwiching the tomato-onion mixture between the tofu slices.
7. Drizzle the completed tofu napoleon with some olive oil and serve immediately.

Serves 2.

There are 2 popular ways to eat pickled ginger.  In Chinese tradition, at the first full moon celebration of the birth of a baby, or in Japanese, gari is eaten with sushi.  I just love it as an everyday condiment!  Do note that the pink in the pickled ginger is a natural color.

Chef’s tip: Buy the young ginger, which has very thin skin, succulent flesh with little fibers.  Peel the ginger by scraping it with a spoon.

1  1/4 lb young ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
2 Tablespoons kosher salt

1 1/2 cup white vinegar
6 Tablespoons sugar

1. Peel ginger and slice with a mandoline as thin as you can, preferably less than 1 mm thick
2. Spread sliced ginger on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 7 minutes.  Rinse and spin dry.  Pat dry with paper towels.
3. In a non reactive bowl, dissolve sugar with the vinegar.
4. Pack the ginger into a glass container, then pour in the vinegared syrup.  Refrigerate for at least two weeks before consuming.  The ginger will develop a rose pink hue over time.

Serves: Makes 6 cups

Part relish, part salad, part pickle.  This side dish is tasty and colorful, and adds a lot of zing to your meal.   It uses the typical Indian spice pairing of fennel and nigella seeds.

Chef’s tip: To remove the skin from a ginger, peel with a spoon – it peels off the skin without cutting too deep into the ginger flesh, while being able to go around the knobs of the rhizome more easily than a knife.  Adding ginger earlier in the cooking process subdues its pungency.

1 pint cherry and grape tomatoes, cut into half
1 Serrano chile
1 sprig green onions, white parts only

2 small Italian eggplants, cut into small half inch cubes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon ginger, finely julienned
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
1 teaspoon ground tumeric
3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Cilantro leaves

1. Toss together tomatoes, chile, green onions in a large bowl.
2. In a small saute pan under medium heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil.  Saute eggplant cubes till it’s tender.  Remove and add to the tomatoes mix.
3. Add remaining olive oil, ginger, garlic, fennel, nigella seeds and tumeric.  Saute until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
4. Add vinegar, sugar and salt.  Remove from heat.
5. Pour vinaigrette over the tomatoes and toss to mix.
6. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Serves: 4