Tonight I’m going out, so I made a quick dinner for the family: a kind of variation on saag paneer using tofu in place of the cheese. To compensate, though, I cooked the chard (and the last spoon of pesto) along with half an onion and spices in about two cups of whey to add stealth cheesiness and play wonderfully with the similarly tangy taste of the tofu. I puréed the greens and then added cubed tofu which I’d browned and seasoned beforehand, then let it all simmer for a bit to thicken and get acquainted.
Last night was a good one for soup, and we still had one last bit of thin-sliced Berkshire pork belly in the freezer, so the rest followed pretty naturally. A combination of fish and chicken stocks made the base, and I added wakame, pesto, and finely grated turnip to enrich and thicken it. Before cooking the udon, I blanched carrots and broccoli separately in the boiling water. Assembled with a dollop of homemade sambal and a sprinkle of togarashi, it was a handsome bowl of dinner that went very well with the better part of a growler of Gilded Otter IPA left over from my grueling research on local microbrews (see previous post).
Regular readers might be growing weary of the endless parade of noodle soups, and to them I say the following: this one was kinda different, on account of it had pesto in it, and big bowls like this are good in the winter, and I’m lazy/tired/short on time these days. And honestly, if you’re a regular reader of this drivel let’s face it: another post about noodle soup is the least of your problems.
I'm making too much soup these days, too. Tough noogies. I like it.
that does NOT sound at all like the sort of meal someone who is tired or lazy or short on time makes…
It sounds pretty rockin' actually!
I've always wanted to make saag paneer with tofu instead of paneer. If you squeeze out all the water, I figure it's just as squeaky.
Heather, try making your own paneer, i;t quite easy. Bring whole milk to a simmer and squeeze in lemon juice. It will split. Strain through cheesecloth. hang and leave to drip overnight or press in a perforated box like cheese. Et voila!
It's a long way to the top, if you want to rock and roll…I don't get sick of soups like this. At. All.
I NEVER grow weary of noodle soups, and encourage you to keep them a'comin'. And Paneer takes about 5 minutes to make, but isn't as good for you as tofu, so cheers.
Wakame is clearly a made up word. Or a Hawaiian greeting.
ok nice.. .we have some thin sliced pork belly in the freezer and i've wanted to use it for TOO long. and no, i am not sick of your soups. it's fucking winter. in a few weeks (ok, months) i won't be saying that word again for awhile.
Your noodles soups inspired me to make my own, so please, keep doing what you're dong.
Zoomie: But the public wants variety. And desserts, evidently.
Eve: You'd be surprised how quick and lazy this really was.
Blanche: It's all just congealed protein.
Ant: I have a new source for raw milk so soon I hope to do this more often.
Julia: I'm on a highway to health.
Kristie: Oh, there will be plenty more.
Amy: I hear that. But in a week we start gaining 3 minutes of light every day.
SdOC: OK, I will. Thanks.