Now, I'm not going to lie to you; these are nothing like real meatballs. Same shape, same basic process to make and cook them but they are totally different. And pretty darn tasty! I was pleasantly surprised, actually. I was all prepared to hate them but once you've cooked them up and plated them the way you would regular meatballs, they are very satisfying. And I'm going to share the recipe with you here today.
I borrowed the recipe from a cookbook Steve's mom gave me for Christmas called, The Vegetarian Collection by Allison Kent and the Canadian Living Test Kitchen. This is one awesome cookbook. In fact, I don't think I'm going to have to take any vegetarian cookbooks out of the library for quite awhile! This recipe was the first one that caught my eye, tempting me to try it.
I hope you enjoy it!
Okay, now, unlike other recipes I've shared here that I have taken and tweaked to make it my own, this one I followed to the letter. The reason is I'd never done it before and wanted to make sure I 'got' the basics of the recipe before tweaking came into the picture. Now that I've done it, and know it works, next time I'm going to give them a bit more of an Italian twist by using oregano and thyme. Or, maybe, a Greek flavor using feta, basil, and minced olives. The possibilities are endless.
Go ahead and try this one, and let me know what you think! Good luck, my fellow vegheads!
Balls:
1 package of extra firm tofu, drained
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 cups of dry bread crumbs (or your own GF option)
2 tablespoons of tahini
2 tablespoons of soy sauce (I use the low sodium version)
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
fresh pepper and salt
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
You will also need:
Four cups of your favorite Marinara Sauce (fresh or jarred)
spaghetti (amount depends on the number of people eating)
Parmesan cheese
* In food processor, puree the tofu with the parsley (or other herb of your choice) until it appears crumbly. Add your bread crumbs, tahini, soy sauce, mustard, salt, pepper and garlic. Pulse to combine.
* Scoop large spoonfuls and roll into balls. Refrigerate, covered, for at least an hour or up to 24 hours.
* In a large nonstick skillet, heat half of the oil over medium heat. In small batches, adding oil as needed, cook the balls until they're golden brown. Should take about 5 to 6 minutes per batch.
* While cooking the balls, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and add your pasta, cooking until al dente. Drain.
* To serve, put a generous portion of noodles on each plate, with a couple spoonfuls of your sauce, putting a few meatballs on top. You could also heat the Marinara sauce in a large pan until warmed through then add your balls to it. In our house, it's better to add the balls on top.
2 comments:
Sounds good. I was surprised when I tried tofu for the first time. I too, was prepared to hate it, but it was the opposite. I make a faux macaroni and cheese with it. I love it!
That sounds pretty good too, Rena. I made a 'egg salad sandwich' mix with the soft tofu. When you put the right ingredients and spices with it, it's actually pretty good!
If you try this one, come back and let me know okay?
=D
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