Tonight I decided to test out a recipe of my own making: honey-ginger baked tofu. OK. I can hear the groans and see the disgusted looks on your faces. Tofu? Blech. But stay with me. Tofu, when cooked correctly, is not quite the soggy, tasteless mess that so many people see it as. Prepared well, and cooked well, tofu is an excellent addition to any dinner, even for you omnivores out there. (Hint: wrap your tofu in a kitchen towel and place a heavy item on top of it for an hour to press out the water. This makes it both less soggy and more able to absorb the taste of the flavoring)
While my tofu was being pressed, I made my spice mix. I started with some honey, about 4 tablespoons worth. (Disclaimer: I rarely measure my spices. Food should be made to taste, not to scientifically calculated specifications). Add in some freshly grated ginger. Over this, I sliced onions (onions are like cinnamon: I'll put them in almost anything).
Take this mix and pour it over the tofu, making sure to coat both sides. Then I added some orange juice and orange slices because, well, the oranges looked tasty when I was picking up the ginger root from the grocery store. I used half the orange for the juice and sliced the other half up into chunks that I put on top of the tofu (in a star shape because I'm a dork like that) and I think food should look as good as it tastes. Then, because I saw the bottle and couldn't resist, I coated it with a decent amount of cinnamon.
Ideally, I would have left this mix to marinate into the tofu for about an hour, but I was hungry so I only let it sit for about twenty-five minutes or so. Into oven (400 degrees) and cooked for 20 minutes. Flip the tofu slices and cook for another 10 or so.
By the time it's done, my house was smelling absolutely fantastic. Half of my seasoning decisions are based on how it'll make my house smell when it's done. If Yankee Candle sells it as a scent, chances are I'll put it in my food and this honey-ginger tofu is no exception. It was sweet, with just a hint of the ginger-y kick. A very subtle scent, but more than enough to get my stomach demanding a taste. Who am I to deny such a demand?
The verdict? Win! The tofu was not as flavorful as it would have been, had I let it marinate for the full hour, but it was quite pleasant nonetheless. The larger pieces of ginger added surprisingly delightful moments of bite and the oranges were a sweet citrus-y juxtaposition to that kick. I will try it again at some point, giving the tofu sufficient time to marinate and I think I will add jasmine rice as a side. That ought to increase the house-fragrancing power tenfold! (Hey, I love my multi-tasking. Why shouldn't my dinner double as my potpurri?)
And here is my masterpiece, garnished with some mint freshly picked from my garden (or the little pot on my apartment front steps. Same difference).
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