Recipe shared by Flip Grater
for Moore Wilson's 2023 Calendar

 

 

Ingredients

Tofu ‘Steaks’:
300g firm tofu
1/2 sheet nori
1/2 bulb fennel
2 thick slices lemon
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or dill, finely chopped

Marinade:
1/4 cup white wine
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp dried herbs de Provence (or mixed herbs)
1/8 tsp dried dill
Pinch white pepper
Cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp flaky sea salt

Cut tofu through the middle to create two 3–4 cm thick steaks. Drain on a tea towel while preparing marinade. Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.

Score tofu on one side, carefully cutting to the middle of the tofu, without cutting right through. Make each slice a couple of millimetres apart so you get a ‘gill’ vibe. Place tofu into a shallow dish and pour the marinade over the steaks. Cover and leave to rest in a fridge for at least an hour, preferably overnight.

Reserving the marinade, remove steaks from marinade and place onto nori sheet, un-scored side down. Cut around the steaks and discard any excess nori sheet, reserving it to throw into stocks or soups. Your tofu will stick to the seaweed, creating a nori ‘skin’ on one side of the tofu steak.

Slice fennel bulb into thick slices and set aside. Take a long length of recycled baking paper, fold in half, then fold both sides 3 times to create a papillote or paper pocket. You will need to make two. You can tie or staple these if you like but they’ll hold pretty well with 3 folds.

Heat a little oil in a pan on medium heat until almost smoking. Carefully place each steak into the pan, scored side down. Fry for 2–3 minutes without touching, until a slight skin forms on the tofu. Place the tofu steaks into each papillote with the equally divided fennel, lemon slices and herbs. Pour the marinade over and roll the open edge downwards to seal the pocket.