summer fare

The worst thing about summer (and I can list a whole ton of them) is that it really is too hot to eat soup.  Sure, we could all go the gazpacho route, but I'll admit here and now that I just cannot do gazpacho.  I'm sure there are some perfectly lovely ones out there and I believe I am capable, but every time I think of gazpacho I have some pretty vivid flashbacks to a concoction my mother used to call "gazpacho" which still triggers my gag reflex (think canned tomato juice with chunks of sour cream and raw mushroom floating in it. Blech!)  So soup's out.  And I like to believe I've come up with some pretty creative replacements.

In the spirit of Olympic multiculturalism, I give you my new summer favorite, tofu banh mi (serves 2 if one of you is willing to make yourself sick):

One package of extra-firm tofu (I used the high protein kind from TJ's pressed between paper towels under a cast iron skillet for about an hour)
1 large carrot shredded
As much cucumber as your husband who hates cucumber will eat (c. 1/3 cuke) sliced into thin ribbons
3T rice vinegar
1 T plus 1/3 c sugar
Salt
1/4 c butter at room temp or mayonnaise
1 T (or to taste) Sriracha sauce
1/3 c soy sauce
1 T fish sauce (optional)
1 large onion thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper (or to taste)
1 baguette (I went to the bakery but you can make a killer one fairly simply recipe to follow)
1 c fresh cilantro leaves
1 jalapeno seeded and diced

1) Drain, dry and press tofu.  Cut into 1/4 inch slices.

2) Combine carrot, cuke, 1 T sugar, 2 T vinegar, and a pinch of salt  and allow veg to gently pickle

3) Blend butter or mayo with sriracha and stick back in fridge.

4) (This is the pain in the butt part) put 1/3 c sugar and 1 T water in a large skillet over medium-low heat.  cook, shaking pan occasionally (but not stirring) until the sugar is mostly melted and golden brown about 10 minutes.  Slowly drizzle in soy and/or fish sauce and remaining vinegar and then add the onion.  Cook stirring often until the onion is tender c. 10 minutes.  Add tofu and black pepper and cook turning tofu occasionally until it's absorbed most of the sauce.

5) Drain carrot mixture.  Split baguette (remove inner part if desired) spread butter/mayo mix on one half add tofu, carrot, cilantro and jalapeno.  Close sammich and eat quickly before someone else does.

James Beard's French Bread (which I also don't recommend making on hot days, but which smells amazing and works with any pot of soup you could ever make):

3 1/2 t dried yeast
1 T sugar
2 c warm water (c. 100 degrees)
1 T salt
5-6 c flour
cornmeal
1 egg white beaten gently with 1 T cold water

Combine yeast, sugar and water allow yeast to proof (get foamy) for about 5 minutes.  Add salt.  Stir in flour 1/2 c at a time until you have a "stiff dough."  Knead on floured board about 10 min until no longer sticky.  Cover and let rise in  a warm place (I use a cold oven) until doubled in size about 1 1/2 hours.  Punch down, roll into french style loaves.  Place on french bread pan or baking sheet covered in cornmeal.  Slash tops of loaves and brush with egg wash.  Cook in cold oven set at 400 degrees about 35 minutes.  (This recipe is awesome because it only has to rise once and goes into an oven that hasn't been pre-heated.)