duck-shaped pain

Roasted Onion and Garlic Soup

(recipe adapted from this book)

• 3 1/2 lbs. red onions, peeled and cut into wedges

• 1 head garlic, separated into cloves, cloves peeled and left whole

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• a few sprigs rosemary, cut into smaller pieces

• 1 quart broth (mushroom stock would be good here -- I used chicken, and it didn't taste quite rich enough)

• a little bit of red wine, if you have it laying about

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste, or more, if desired.

• 2 tablespoons butter

• sherry or balsalmic vinegar, to taste

• chopped fresh rosemary, basil, or other herbs, to taste

• fresh Parmesan cheese, if desired

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss the onions and whole cloves of garlic with oil, and place in a roasting pan large enough to hold all of them in a single layer (I used a 9x13 pan, which was the perfect size). Stick rosemary pieces in with the onions and garlic. Roast for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 10 or 15 minutes or so, making sure onions do not get burnt.

2. Take pan out of oven and place on a heat-proof surface (top of the stove is good). Take out rosemary. Pour some broth and a bit of red wine into the pan, and scrape bottom of pan with a spatula, to get up the burnt roasty onion bits off of the pan and into the mixture. Puree onions and garlic, adding more broth if necessary, in batches, until they are smooth. Place puree and remaining broth in a pot, and heat to a simmer over medium to low heat, stirring frequently.

3. Mix butter and tomato paste into soup. Add vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. The soup will have a sweet flavor -- adding vinegar, and more tomato, if desired, will give it more of a deeper flavor. Add herbs, and top with Parmesan before serving.

I also successfully made this, although it violates my general "don't make tofu be what tofu isn't" rule. Therefore, it would also be perfectly fine using 3-4 (or more) eggs in its place.

Mexican Tofu Scramble

(adapted from this book)

• 1 cake aseptically packaged tofu, rinsed, pressed, then crumbled by hand into little bits

• 1-2 tbsp. oil

• 1 small onion, diced

• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 bell pepper, diced

• 1 small green chile, diced

• approximately 1 tsp. each cumin, ground coriander, chile powder, and oregano

• chopped fresh cilantro and basil

• 1/2 c. salsa of your choice

• cheese (if you must)

1. Heat oil in large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, saut� 5 minutes or so until soft. Add garlic, bell pepper, green chile and spices, cook for 3 more minutes.

2. Carefully add tofu to mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring gently so as not to break up tofu into tiny, unrecognizable bits. When tofu is cooked through, add fresh herbs and salsa. Mix to incorporate, cook another minute or so. Serve with cheese, if desired, and tortillas.

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