Tofu, again. I am making a few experiments and I must admit that it is a very versatile ingredient. You can deep fry it, grill it, stir-fry it, cook it in sauce and it keeps its shape and it does not crumble. On top, its spongy texture makes it very tasty (as it absorbs aromas and juices), as in this version, cooked with soy sauce reduction.

Here I introduce also a universal and vegan salad dressing: the peanuts dressing. Make more and preserve it in the fridge for one week. It is a perfect dressing for all vegetables and it can be used as a marinade for the Chicken Satay (Chicken Satay recipe).

Serves 4

Ready in 30 minutes

350 grams fresh tofu

80 grams baby spinach

250 grams lentils (boiled)

50 grams bean sprouts at your choice

4 tbs soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

1 tbs rice vinegar

2 tbs water

peanut dressing*

First prepare the peanuts dressing (see below).

Cut the tofu into half centimeter slices. Dry them with a dry cloth and set aside.

Meanwhile in a small casserole put the soy sauce, the rice vinegar, the water and the sugar a bring to a boil. Let simmer until reduced of two thirds. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a pan. When hot, put the tofu slices and let them fry high heat for 3 or 4 minutes per side (or until golden). Now reduce the heat and add the soy sauce reduction. Turn the slices continuously until the liquids are all evaporated. Retain from fire and set aside.

Toss the lentils with 4 or 5 tablespoons of peanuts dressing.

Compose the plate: put a few spinach on the bottom of the plate, put the lentils and top with the tofu slices. Before serving decorate with sprouts at choice.

*Peanuts dressing

200 grams peanuts butter

a quarter of a glass of soy sauce

a quarter of a glass of rice vinegar

one glass of water

3 tsp sugar

3 cm ginger root

2 garlic cloves

3 tbs vegetable oil

Heat the vegetable oil in a pan. And stir-fry the minced garlic (I keep the whole clove to retai nit once golden), and the grated ginger until golden.

Add the remaining ingredients and on medium-low heat mix everything until smooth. Set aside for later use.

As a general rule, this sauce, once cold, can be kept into the refrigerator up to one week.

The Larb Tao Hoo – tofu salad – is one of my favorite Thai dishes. Often found with meat (pork), very rarely you can find it with tofu. This is the version I propose to you. If you substitute the fish sauce with soy sauce you will have a 100% vegetarian dish.

Serves 6

Ready in 30 minutes

350 grams tofu finely diced

1 green chilli pepper chopped

1 tbs ground chilli pepper

1 tbs ground black pepper

40 grams glutinous rice (or basmati rice)

6 big spring onions

2 shallots

2 stalks lemongrass (you can skip this in case you can’t find any)

100 grams fresh cilantro

30 grams fresh mint leaves

6 limes

2 tbs fish sauce (or soy sauce for a vegan version)

2 tbs vegetable oil

salt

Heat the vegetable oil in a pan. Add the fresh chilli, the ground chilli and the black pepper. Fry for one minute and add the diced tofu. Stir-fry for 8/9 minutes. Season with salt and set aside.

Toast the rice into a hot pan, until hazelnut colour. Use a pestle or a grindr and grind it into a powder. Set aside.

Meanwhile, squeeze the limes and put the juice in a bowl, add the fish sauce (or the soy sauce), 3 tbs of water, mix well and set aside.

Dice the spring onions and the shallots into medium-small pieces. Chop roughly the cilantro and the mint leaves. Set aside.

In a bowl, put the tofu (warm) with its liquids, add the onions and the shallots, cilantro, mint and mix well. Season with the lime-fish sauce mixture and mix well.

Serve with steamed rice.

Serves 4

Ready in 45 minuts

400 gr black cabbage

150 gr white beans

4 slices (1 cm thick) of ciabatta bread

2 garlic cloves

extra-virgin olive oil (half glass)

Wash and separate the tip of the leaves of the black cabbage from the stems.

Fry one garlic clove with 2 tbs of oil, add the cabbage stems and fry for 5/6 minutes. Add a glass of water and bring to a boil, simmer, medium heat for 15 minutes.

Add then the leaves and cook for other 30 minutes (adding another glass of water), until they are soft. Season with salt and set aside.

Toast the bread, when crunchy, rub the garlic clove on the surface, top with the cooked cabbage, and top with 1 tbs of white beans. Season with oolive oil and a pinch of ground black pepper. Serve.

Servire ancora caldi.

2 eggplants

4 celery stalks

1 garlic clove

half glass of white vinegar

4 tbs extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

if you like: pitted kalamata olives

Bring water to a boil and add a generous pinch of salt. Meanwhile peel and dice the eggplants to 3 cm pieces. Boil the aubergines for 8/9 minutes (until they get softer – careful not to overcook them).

Drain all water, and still hot into the colander, sprinkle them with the vinegar (I like them sour, if you prefer a milder taste use half vinegar). Cool down.

Clean and dice the celery (including the leaves) to pieces 1 cm long. Chope finely the garlic clove. In a bowl, put the eggplants, the diced celery, the garlic, the olive oil, and if you like the pitted olives. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

1 kg pumpkin

300 ml frying oil

4 tbs white vinegar

1 tsp sugar

10/15 mint leaves

salt

Clean the pumpkin and slice i tinto half cm slices.

Fry the slices in hot frying oil until the borders are getting brown.

Put all the fried pumpkin slices in the same frying pan, stir fry for 4/5 minutes, add the sugar, the vinegar and let evaporate for 3/4 minutes more. Add the mint leaves, season with salt and serve. Cold are good as well.

1 kg white chards

100 grams flour

2 eggs

100 gr bread crumbs

80 grams grated parmesan cheese

half tsp grated nutmeg

salt and pepper

Boil the white chard cut into pieces in salted water for 20 minutes. Drain and let cool down.

Chop them finely. Mix all ingredients until it is smooth but firm (if necessary add some flour or reduce the quantity indicated).

Take some small portion of the mixture and roll them with you hands (use flour otherwise the mixture will stick) to obtain the shape as shown in picture.

Put them on a clean cloth dusted with flour.

Bring water to a boil. Add 1 tbs of salt and pour gently the pasta into the boiling water. Once they come to the surface they are ready and just need to be serve with the sauce of your preference.

Great with butter and grated parmesan but also with Tomato Sauce and/or Bolognaise Sauce.

Click the links for the recipes.

6 persone / Serves 6

1h 30 mins

250 gr quinoa / 250 grams quinoa

2 zucchine / 2 zucchinis

3 cipollotti / 3 spring onions

100 gr ricotta / 100 grams ricotta cheese

2 uova /  2 eggs

1 cucchiaio di farina / 1 tbs flour

2 cucchiai di olio d’oliva / 2 tbs olive oil

Sale e pepe / salt and pepper

Facoltativo / at tour choice:

½ cucchiaino curcuma o zafferano / half tsp turmeric or saffron

1 cucchiaino origano / 1 tsp oregan

100 gr semi di sesamo / 100 grams seasme seed

Cuocere la quinoa come da indicazioni.

Boil the quinoa as per instructions.

Tritare i cipollotti e soffriggerli.

Chop finely the onions and fry them in a pan.

Tagliare le zucchine e julienne e aggiungerle alle cipolle.

Stick the zucchini and add them to the onions.

Cuocere per circa 10 minuti. Salare, pepare e far raffreddare.

Fry them for 10 minutes circa. Season with salt and pepper. Cool down.

In un recipiente mettere le zucchine saltate. Unire tutti gli altri ingredienti (escluso i semi di sesamo) e impasatre.

In a container put the cooled zucchini. Add all other ingredients excluding the sesame seeds and knead.

Dividere il composto in 12 (o 6 se li volete più grossi) parti e formare gli hamburger. Panarli con i semi di sesamo. E cuocere in forno caldo (200° C) per circa 20 minuti. Servire a piacere.

Divide the mixture into 12 (or 6 if you want them bigger) balls and make the hamburger. Coat them with the sesame seeds. Cook them in hot oven (200° C), for 20 minutes. Serve.

Quesadillas

flour tortillas as per recipe below: http://eatwithmarco.com/en/tortillas/

400 gr grated Gouda or Monterey Jack cheese

50 gr sliced and preserved jalapenos

3 tbs vegetable oil

Oil a pan with a couple of drops of oil and heat it up.

Roll the dough to a round of 20/25 cm diameter.

Put into the pan. Fill in half of the tortilla iwth some cheese and the jalapenos. Close the tortilla into a half-moon. Cook both sides for 3/4 minutes and medium-high heat.

This is the basic version but you can fill them in as you like (add anything you like, such as cooked chicken, grilled vegetables, etc).

Zucchini Stuffed with Feta Cheese

4 zucchine tonde / 4 round zucchini

300 gr feta / 300 gr feta cheese

200 gr pomodorini / 200 gr cherry tomatoes

3 filetti d’acciuga / 3 anchovy fillets

20 capperi / 20 capers

3 cucchiai di pane grattugiato / 3 tbs breadcrumbs

2 cucchiai di parmigiano grattugiato / 2 tbs shaved parmesan

3 cucchiai olio d’oliva / 3 tbs olive oil

Pulire le zucchine e scavare la polpa.

Clean the zucchini and take the meat out.

Scaldare l’olio in una pentola e unire le acciughe.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the anchovies. 

Quando sono sciolte, unire la polpa delle zucchine e i capperi. Cuocere per 7/8 minuti a fuoco vivace.

The anchovies melted, add the zucchini meat and the capers. Simmer for 7/8 minutes high heat.

Unire i pomodorini tagliati a metà. Cuocere per altri 7/8 minuti e mettere da parte.

Add the tomatoes halved. Simmer for other 7/8 minutes. Set aside.

Nel frattempo cuocere le zucchine svuotate a secco in forno  caldo (200°) per 15 minuti. O alternativamente n abbondante acqua salata per 10 minuti.

Meanwhile cook the emptied zucchini in the hot oven (200°C) for 15 minutes or aternatively boil them in boiling salted water, for 10 minutes.

Aggiungere al composto di zucchine il formaggio, il parmigiano e la feta sbriciolata.

Add to the zucchini mixture, the parmesan, the breadcrumbs and the feta chese crumbled.

Farcire con questo composto le zucchine e cuocere in forno per 30 minuti a 190°-200° finché non saranno ben gratinati. Servire.

Fill the zucchini in with this mixture. Put in a  baking pan and cook for 30 minutes in hot oven (190°-200°), until golden brown. Serve.

250 gr quinoa / 250 gr quinoa

mezzo peperone giallo / half green pepper

mezzo peperone rosso / half red pepper

mezza cipolla / half red onion

14 foglie di menta / 14 mint leaves

10 foglie maggiorana fresca / 10 leaves fresh marjoram

Succo di 2 limoni / juice of 2 lemons

3 cucchiai di granatina / 3 tbs grendine

5 cucchiai olio d’oliva / 5 tbs olive oil

Bollire la quinoa (3 tazze d’acqua salata e in ebollizione per 1 tazza di quinoa). Cuocere 15 minuti circa. Scolare e fare raffreddare.

To prepare Mint and Grenadine Quinoa, boil the quinoa (3 cups of boiling salted water every cup of quinoa). Cook for 15 minutes circa. Drain and cool down.

A parte mettere la maggiorana, metà della menta tagliate grossolanamente, la cipolla a pezzi, il succo di limone e la granatina in un piccolo recipiente. Lasciare insaporire per mezz’ora.

In a container, put half of the mint, the marjoram, the onion chopped roughly. Add the lemon juice and the grendine. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.

Nel frattempo tagliare i peperoni a piccoli cubetti.

Meanwhile cut the peppers into small cubes.

In un recipiente mettere la quinoa, i peperoni e versare sopra il condimento filtrato. Mescolare bene. Unire l’olio e la mente rimasta tagliuzzata.

In a container, put the cold quinoa, the peppers and add the lemon and grenadine mixture (drained). Toss well. Add the oil and the remaining mint roughly chopped.