Here’s a recipe from Aiko, who mentioned this simple vegan delight when we had a little reunion in the New Paltz area. We really must have weddings back home more often!

Tofu Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients

-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or a bar of dark chocolate

-1 package soft tofu

-Maple syrup or whatever kind of sweetener you go for

(I don’t have exact measurements because I don’t think you really need them. It’s the perfect recipe)

Method

-Blend the tofu in a blender or food processor until creamy

-Melt the chocolate. This is usually done by placing a bowl over a pot of boiling water and keeping an eye on it so that the chocolate doesn’t scorch

-Mix the chocolate with the tofu in the blender

-Add sweetener until you’ve reached your desired sweetness level

Presentation

Like any pudding, it’s best to pour into individual serving dishes and then cool in the refrigerator.

Alternatively, you can freeze it. I did this in an ice cube tray where the ice cubes were shaped like a heart. Once frozen they were easy to remove only becuase the ice tray was rubber and I could pop them out. With plastic ice cube trays you may need to oil the surface so they pop out (I don’t know what that will do to the taste) or maybe lay some wax paper inside before pouring. Anyway, frozen they are no different from fudgesicles. Delicious!!

They show up in the salads of every diner you visit and are a mainstay of produce aisles, but radishes are not the kind of thing you go crazy over. I’ve never heard of any cookbooks dedicated to them or festivals celebrating them. They are more of an afterthought. But there they were in my CSA share, coming at a rate of six to eight a week, so I decided to make an effort to use them.

The other night, I happened to have a homemade seaweed salad hanging out in my fridge (not common for the average person, I know, but this is me we’re talking about) and a bell went off.

I realized that the soft texture of the ‘weed and the crunch of the radishes would go together beautifully, with the shallow spice of the radish complimenting the deep, subtly salty flavor of its companion. Not only that, but the dark green of the seaweed with the vibrant pink and bright white of the radishes would also look mighty fine together.

So I devised and test drove a recipe that I think came out quite well. I wrote it out here with instructions for making it all from scratch. I’m taking the liberty of assuming you won’t have reconstituted seaweed sitting around.

Radish and seaweed salad
Serves about 4

Ingredients:
1 handful dried wakame seaweed, or other stringy seaweed
1 small bunch radishes, sliced in half moons
3 Tbs. umeboshi plum vinegar, or other vinegar with a sprinkling of sugar and salt
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1-2 tsp. sesame seeds
Soy sauce (optional)

What to do:
Soak the seaweed in cold water for 10 minutes or until soft. Meanwhile, slice the radishes and let them soak in the vinegar.

Drain the seaweed and chop into bite-sized pieces. Remove the radish slices from their vinegar bath, reserving the vinegar. Combine and toss with sesame oil and sesame seeds. Add some vinegar or soy sauce if desired.

Eat!

You know that phenomenon of seeing something for the first time and then suddenly seeing it everywhere? This year, that happened to me with one particular recipe. It first popped up around July and since then, I’ve read variations in food magazines, books, an online newsletter, and an email listserv. I began to wonder how it was possible that I’d never encountered it before this summer. Although the recipe has variations, the method is usually simple and always brilliant.

And what is it? It’s the recipe for roasted tomatoes.

Needless to say, I eventually had to try it. Usually billed as a way to save that special fruit for a time when the word “heirloom” again conjures silver broaches rather than buckets of buxom multi-colored produce, this recipe also produces a very tasty addition to just about any dish. Roasting tomatoes does dramatically reduce their volume and allows you to freeze them for months, but it also concentrates their tart, sweet, salty goodness and often adds a smoky flavor to boot. And like I said, it’s quite simple.

Here’s the basic idea:

Cut your tomatoes into uniform halves or quarters, keeping in mind that smaller pieces will roast faster. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper (or just olive oil) and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 F for 2 ½-3 hours or until most of the moisture is gone. Pack into freezer bags and freeze in a single, flat layer. The end!

You can use these tasty chunks of summer in pesto, pasta sauce, tapenade, soup… you name it.

So if you still have outrageous amounts of tomatoes, now you know what to do with them. Or you can save this in the back of your culinary consciousness until the beefsteaks, valley girls, and early boys floweth over once again next year. Either way, odds are you’ll see this recipe again.

PS. The image is from http://www.vanesscipes.com. Yum!

Wow. I will need to read Leah Koenig’s posts on various blogs often.

Here’s a sample.

And for more great food news for socially-conscious Jews, check out The Jew and the Carrot. One highlight from this week, especially helpful if you’ve ever traveled in Israel and wondered what was up with that eggs-in-a-bed-of-cooked-tomato stuff (turns out it’s shakshuka, and you should make it while the tomato season is hot!): http://jcarrot.org/when-the-farm-gives-you-tomatoes-make-shakshuka/.

…the walrus said…

…to cook with epazote!

I’ve decided to make this recipe with the epazote I’ll get with my CSA share tomorrow! Or maybe this one. It depends if I find fresh pumpkin seeds and have the patience to grind, kneed, and drain them. I must admit that having bright green, vitamin E-rich oil for garnish is very appealing.

We shall see!