Sunday, September 6, 2009

Fridge Cleanout in a Pot

Am not always the best at figuring out how much of each thing I'll need when cooking, especially when cooking for other people. My fridge contained some leftover cooked rice and some broiled tofu. So when a friend suggested this arrangement, it sounded about right to me.

Local Ingredients:
Fresh Tofu Inc Tofu (marinated and baked at 400* until tough)
Tomato Juice from Rineer Family Farm tomatoes (leftover from canning whole tomatoes)
to make: peel tomatoes, cut in half and crush over strainer to remove seeds
Corn from Rineer Family Farms
Hot Peppers from Dog in the Sun (Pheasant Hill Farm)
Green Beans from Crawford Organics
Carrots from Fitler Square Farmer's Market
Shallots from Fitler Square Farmer's Market

Mince shallots or onions and hot pepper and saute in oil for a few minutes. Remove corn kernels from cob, cut green beans into inch pieces and dice carrots. Add corn, green beans, carrots, leftover rice, and tofu (diced) to the shallot mixture and cover with tomato juice. Simmer mixture 10-15 minutes with lid on to cook beans and carrots and then remove lid to let liquid evaporate. When the mixture resembles risotto and the veggies are crisp-tender, it's ready to go. Can substitute any vegetable or leftovers for the beans and carrots, but the corn is a must. Salt and pepper to taste.

Since you need a lot of tomato juice to really make this mixture taste great, plan to make it after canning tomatoes or any other large tomato project.