Stereotypical Ramblings of an Early 20-Something

platingitup:

Swedish Tofu-Mushroom-Balls with Shitake Mushroom Sauce, served with Granny Smith Apple, Carrot, and Blood Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad

The secret I’ve found to cooking with tofu is to season and herb the hell out of that stuff.  So, when I think I have enough spices and herbs mixed into it…I add more.  I also rarely measure anything, unless I’m baking.  So here are the ingredients for the dish.  Trust your gut on what you use and the amounts.

How I made the Swedish Tofu-Mushroom-Balls

Let the Ziploc bag be your friend - cube up a block of super firm tofu (didn’t bother to press it) and put that in a gallon ziploc, then add the spices:
The Gourmet Collection Spice Blends of the following -
Roasted Garlic, Rosemary, & Sea Salt
Chicken Salt
Roasted Garlic & Red Pepper

Dried Oregano
Allspice
Nutmeg
Cardamom

Finely chopped flat leaf parsley
And a bit of fresh savory

Mix all of the spices together with the tofu in the Ziploc and massage the bag to infuse the herbs and spices, and to crumble the tofu.  Set aside.

Mince a small shallot and 1 clove of garlic.  Chop some mushrooms in a small dice.  I am growing Shitake mushrooms on my dining room table, so I used a couple of large Shitake mushrooms along with a handful of white mushrooms from the market.  Sauté the shallot and garlic in some butter.  Then add the mushrooms and a bit more butter.  Add a few splashes of white wine as well and cook that off.  Let the mushroom mixture cool a bit and then add it to the tofu mixture bag and mix in.  Next add the chopped flat leaf parsley and savory.  Let the flavors sit with the tofu for a bit.

Dump the tofu-mushroom mixture into a bowl, add 1 organic free-range egg, and a good amount of plain dry bread crumbs (until the right consistency is achieved to make “meatballs”).  Make uniform size balls and refrigerate until ready to cook.

The Sauce

Cook the tofu-mushroom-balls in butter and then set them into the oven to stay warm while you make the sauce.  In the same pan that you’ve fried the “meat” balls in, add a bit more butter and some flour and create a roux.  Slowly pour in heated beef broth (or you could use mushroom broth) and whisk.  Mix in some sour cream to give it a tangy flavor.  Then sauté more Shitake mushrooms and add to the sauce.  Add the meatballs back in and simmer.

The Finished Dish

I served the Swedish Tofu-Mushroom-Balls over organic Yukon gold mashers with organic half-n-half and butter mashed in and seasoned with sea salt and cracked pepper.  I made a salad of finely julienned organic granny smith apples and organic carrots with a blood orange vinaigrette.