Saturday 6 September 2008

i wanna be a chocolate god post 6: fall


Fall food: Fry onions (2 small) and itsy-bitsy cubes of smoked tofu in a little bit of olive oil on low heat until they're done-ish. Add veg broth, water, smoked paprika, achiote and thyme (maybe some salt depending on the saltiness of your veg broth). Add a layer of green beans, and then a layer of whole cored nearly-ripe pears. Do not stir. Cover and simmer until everything is done.

Once this is done, make the sauce: Carefully pour any remaining liquid out of the pan into a small pot (hold the contents of the pan in place with the lid. Add an equal volume balsamic vinegar to the cooking broth and reduce by at least half. Add a few squares dark dark chocolate, and pour over the layered, simmered yum.

We ate this on mashed spuds/parsnips and a tomato and herb salad.

Also, a while ago I mentioned that I would send off microbreads (or other baked goodies) in returen for salmiakki... and someone took me up on it! Anni from Tofu for Two sent me a package of sweets in exchange for some truffles! Apparently there ARE finnish vegans who read my blog! Yay! Thanks Anni.

dancing to: it was an inpromptu dinner party. we did the "good friends, good conversation thing" or maybe we just talked about how airplane bathrooms are really much to small to have sex in. you'll never know.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your salmiakki traveled fast, how nice - we don't even get mail on Saturdays! So my days are still filled with truffle anticipation... Smoked tofu and chocolate, that sure sounds like a ground-breaking culinary invention.

sinead said...

@ Mihl: I don't think that Edinburgh has a "summer" per se. One of the trees outside my window is starting to go orange and I need to wear my warm fuzzy hoodie to go outside, so yeah, I declare it fall.

@Anni: yes. Eat smoked tofu and chocolate. Yum. The stuff I buy is just normal tofu marinated in some sort of liquid smoke/tamari mix, I think. Good tofu isn't all that easy to find here, but there is one local brand that I totally love, and it comes ready-marinated, which is very very convenient.

medici said...

This was delicious - I vouch for the yummy dish described here. Our plates full of steaming hot fall food were met with delight and devoured during long stretches of silence (absent the munching noises). Scottish spuds and parsnips (mashed) really made this a hearty meal, too, and the all of the reds and greens and balsamicy-chocolaty colours were heightened by the roots. There were even twigs attached to the tops of the pears, thank heavens!

It really is fall in Scotland and I do love it. We had about 4-5 days of summery weather interspersed amongst the coolish rainy days that were broken up by bright blue and yellow sunny intervals. I can't think of a better place to eat good hot vegan food throughout the year than Scotland. And the kitchen of The Kitchen Dancer inspires the appetite! Huzzah!!!

The Voracious Vegan said...

WHOA! What an amazing meal. I think you are officially a chocolate god!

sinead said...

Thank you. Just...thanks. *giant smile*