Thursday, April 5, 2012

Picked the last of the overwintered swiss chard - a big pile of which made it into a stir fry with asparagus, recipe from one of my favourite blogs, 101 Cookbooks: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/asparagus-stirfry-recipe.html toasted sesame oil 8 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into slices thick as a pencil 4 green onions, thinly sliced scant 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (peeled) 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1/2 a bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces a couple big pinches of fine-grain sea salt 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 big handful of toasted cashews, chopped up a bit a few handfuls of spinach, or chopped kale, or chopped chard zest and juice of one lime 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 1 small handful fresh mint, slivered 1 small handful fresh basil, slivered Have all your ingredients prepped and within arms reach of the stove. Heat a splash of sesame oil in a large pan, or well-seasoned wok over medium high heat. Alternately, you can do this in a dry non-stick pan - one of the few occasions I still use non-stick. When it is hot, add the tofu, and cook until golden - a few minutes. Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside. Add another (generous) splash of oil to the pan and, as soon as it is hot, add the onions, ginger, red pepper flakes, asparagus, and salt. Stir fry for about a minute, then add the garlic, cashews, and spinach and stir-fry for another minute, or until the spinach wilts. Return the tofu to the pan. Stir in the lime zest and juice and the hoisin sauce. Cook for another 10-20 seconds, stirring all the while. Remove from heat and stir in the mint and basil. Taste and add a bit more salt if needed. I did not have mint or basil, so used some cilantro instead, which was very nice. Make your own Hoisin Sauce: 4 Tablespoons Soy sauce - dark/light/usual 2 tablespoons Peanut butter - or black bean paste 1 tablespoon Honey - or molasses 2 teaspoons white vinegar 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 2 teaspoons sesame seed oil 20 drops Chinese-style hot sauce 1/8 teaspoon black pepper The rest of the chard will be sauted with garlic, an old standby for greens.

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