I was in a weird place this weekend. I didn’t know what I wanted to make for dinner this week and I was having trouble thinking of something different. I wanted to try something new, but I also knew I had a lot of school work to do. Part of me wanted pork steam buns, but I really didn’t want any meat. I decided to try a vegetarian version using tofu instead of pork, but with the same hoisin sauce mix that is just perfect with steam buns.

I started with pickling vegetables – carrots, red onion, cucumber and kale. Wait, kale? Yes, kale. I am still working through the last of the kale from the garden and decided to try picking it. It isn’t bad, but not my first choice.

I did try to make steam buns again, in large part because I can’t find them in a store around here. I used a different recipe than the last time I made them, and refined the steamer just a little. It worked, but the buns didn’t rise the way I wanted them to. I’m getting closer on the buns, but they still aren’t perfect. (Taste was good, but they didn’t rise enough and were pretty dense.)

So tofu. I know what you are thinking – how is this going to work. Soft tofu on a soft bun … the texture should not work. But … cornstarch. Cornstarch is my best friend when it comes to frying tofu. Light coating of cornstarch and into hot oil – the result is a crispy, crunchy tofu with a soft, silky center. And the tofu took the sauce beautifully.

So how did it turn out? I can’t wait to have this tomorrow for lunch. I’m skipping the buns and just using the pickled vegetables with the tofu as a salad. It’s tangy, sweet and really satisfying.

Pickled Vegetables:

• Vegetables of choice – cut (about 1/4 cup)
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• pinch salt

Mix together vinegar, sugar and salt. Add chopped vegetables and coat. Let sit at least fifteen minutes, up to an hour. If not using in the hour, drain the pickling liquid.

Hoisin Tofu:

• 8 oz. extra firm tofu, cut and pressed
• 1/4 cup corn starch (probably could use less, but I like to make sure there is enough in one go)
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (or sub whatever soy sauce you have on hand)
• 2 tablespoons vinegar (I used sherry vinegar because that I what I had, but rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar or white vinegar should do fine too.)
• Mix of sesame and olive oil (about 1 tablespoon sesame and 2 tablespoons olive)

Cut tofu into strips about the size of the buns. Place between paper towels and press for about ten minutes. (I find a baking sheet over the tofu works pretty good)

Mix together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce and vinegar until well combined.

Heat pan with oils over medium high heat until hot enough to crisp the tofu. Toss tofu in corn starch and add to pan. Allow bottom to crisp (don’t turn) for a few minutes until lightly browned. Flip and crisp/brown the other side – about 7 minutes total. Reduce heat to medium and add hoisin sauce mix. Toss tofu in sauce over medium heat until well coated and the sauce begins to thicken, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place one piece of tofu on the bun and top with pickled vegetables of choice.

After harvesting all the kale, I made batches of kale pesto. Batches of kale pesto.

I am not sure if I make kale pesto the “correct way or not” but in general I use kale, walnuts or almonds, garlic, a little salt, pecorino cheese and olive oil. I sometimes add lemon juice , honey or basil to it to cut some of the kale taste, but I try to keep it pretty simple. I think I ended up making about eight cups of pesto on Saturday and I know I used a head of garlic and a bag of walnuts along with most of the harvested kale. (Still have enough for a large kale salad.)

But what to do with all that pesto. Well, we have a nice ravioli and pesto lunch and for dinner I tried a modified version of a NYT recipe I found that looked really good. I wasn’t going to make regular pesto, and I wanted to make my own tomato sauce using the tomatoes I picked (so they wouldn’t go to waste).  I wasn’t sure about this since Bob doesn’t like peppers all that much, I decided to try it.

General thoughts were that I loved the sauce (I was actually really, really impressed with the sauce) and the filling, but didn’t think the peppers added much to the dish. I think it can be much simpler – leave out the peppers, fold the pesto and the tomato sauce into the couscous and toss with a little mozzarella cheese. That, I think would make a perfect dish.

Kale pesto:

• 1 large bunch kale
• 2 large or 3 medium cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese
• 1/2 cup olive oil (+/- depending on consistency preference)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• basil leaves, lemon juice, or honey (optional)

De-stem the kale and break into small to medium-sized pieces. Rough chop the garlic and walnuts. All kale, walnuts and garlic to food processor process for a few seconds, just until everything starts to break down. Add in olive oil, salt and any extras (basil, lemon or honey) and process again. You may have to do this two or three times, scrapping the sides in between each round. You may also have to add olive oil in batches if you like a more sauce like consistency. (I tend to make my pesto dry and add more oil right before I use it if needed.)

Tomato sauce:

• 1 cup heirloom tomatoes, chopped
• 8 oz crushed tomato
• 1/3 cup pasta water
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. When hot, add the tomatoes and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until the skins become soft. Add crushed tomatoes, garlic powder, sugar, salt and pepper and reduce heat to medium or medium low. Stir to combine everything and allow to reduce a little. Add pasta water and mix. Reduce a little more – the sauce should thicken a little – and taste to adjust seasoning.

Couscous:

• 1 cup pearled or Israeli couscous
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Heat olive oil in a small to medium pot over medium high heat. When hot, add couscous and stir to coat all the pearls. Cook, stirring, for about two minutes. Add two cups of vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cook about 15 minutes. Drain 1/3 cup of the liquid and reserve for the tomato sauce. Drain the rest of the broth and return the couscous to the pan.

To combine:

Add pesto (about 2/3 cup is what I used) and mix well.

Here is what I didn’t do, but will be doing next time:

Add couscous with pesto to the pan with tomato sauce. Stir to combine. Mix in about 1/3 cup mozzarella pearls (or chunks of fresh mozzarella) and combine. Plate.