Patsy Clark’S Shares Recipe For Moroccan Tofu Kebabs

Dear Merri Lou: Could you get a vegetarian recipe from Patsy Clark’s? I really enjoy its dishes with bell peppers and portobello mushrooms. Thank you, Donna, Spokane.

Dear Donna: Executive Chef David Goldman provided a Moroccan-inspired recipe from the restaurant’s new fall menu. This has a delicious marinade and barbecue baste for cubes of tofu. Goldman serves this with a dried fruit curried couscous; it’s an approved item for the Heart Institute of Spokane’s Lite ‘n Hearty program.

Moroccan Tofu Kebabs

1 pound Small Planet organic plain tofu, firm

Vegetables such as sweet bell peppers, portobello mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and Bermuda onion, optional

Moroccan marinade:

1 tablespoon fennel seed

2 tablespoons cumin

2 tablespoons whole coriander

1 tablespoon fenugreek

1 cup red wine

1/2 cup sherry

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1 cup soy sauce

2 cups water

2 bay leaves, crumbled

1-1/2 cinnamon sticks, broken

5 star anise

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced

2 cups salad oil

Moroccan baste and glaze:

2-1/2 cups honey

1 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 cup ketchup

Juice from 2 lemons

2 cinnamon sticks

5 star anise

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 tablespoon coriander seed

1 tablespoon green peppercorns

1-1/4 tablespoons dried lavender (see note)

1-1/4 tablespoons fresh ginger

1 teaspoon cloves, whole

1 teaspoon mace, ground

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

At least 1 day in advance, freeze tofu and make marinade and baste/glaze sauce.

To prepare the tofu, cut into 12 pieces (cut whole block lengthwise, cut each half lengthwise, then cut each section into thirds). Lay the cubes on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and freeze. An hour before use, remove tofu from freezer to thaw. Squeeze each cube by hand to release water; the tofu will act like a sponge and absorb the marinade.

To make the marinade, place fennel seed, cumin, coriander and fenugreek in a pie pan and roast in a 400-degree oven about 8 minutes, until quite aromatic (or toast in dry saute pan over medium heat, letting spices darken but not burn). Whisk in the rest of the marinade ingredients, then add salad oil. Add more water if flavor seems too strong. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To prepare baste and glaze, combine all remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a rolling simmer, then reduce heat slightly and simmer until the sauce thickens to a syrupy consistency (it will thicken further as it cools). Refrigerate until ready to use.

Thread thawed tofu cubes and vegetable pieces, if using, onto 4 skewers (3 tofu cubes per skewer). Place in baking dish. Pour marinade over skewers, using a strainer to catch spices (you will not need to use all the marinade; return spices to remaining marinade and store in the refrigerator for another use). Add enough marinade to cover about 1/3 of the tofu’s surface; it will be quickly absorbed. Turn skewers once to marinate a second side. Cook immediately or refrigerate up to 1 week.

Heat grill or broiler and cook kebabs about 8-10 minutes, turning once. Baste after turning with baste and glaze sauce. Heat extra sauce to serve with kebabs.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (for the entire entree as served at Patsy Clark’s): 500 calories, 11 grams fat (18 percent fat calories), 90 grams carbohydrate, 25 grams protein, 6.5 grams dietary fiber, 595 milligrams sodium.

Note: Dried lavender and other herbs and spices are available at such specialty stores such as Lorien and Huckleberry’s.

Dear Merri Lou: I have access to rows of thornless blackberries. Do you have a couple of recipes (not jam - that I have) that would freeze well so I might enjoy this fruit again in winter? - Cyn, via e-mail.

Dear Cyn: The easiest way to preserve your garden gems is to freeze them whole in approved freezing containers. Here are recommendations from the USDA’s “Complete Guide to Home Preserving and Freezing” (Dover Publications, 1994):

Syrup pack: Pack berries into containers, leaving head space, and cover with cold 40- or 50-percent syrup, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Seal and freeze. For 40-percent syrup, dissolve 3 cups sugar in 4 cups cold water; for 50-percent syrup, dissolve 4-3/4 cups sugar in 4 cups water. Be sure syrup covers the fruit in the container.

Sugar pack: To 1 quart (1-1/3 pounds) berries, add 3/4 cup sugar. Turn berries over and over until most of the sugar is dissolved. Fill containers, leaving head space, seal and freeze.

Unsweetened pack: Pack berries into containers, leaving head space. Seal and freeze.