Winter tofu with local spices

Preparation: 45 minutes | Cooking time: 20 minutes | Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Spice blend

2 tsp (10 ml) ground Gorria pepper

1 teaspoon (5 ml) whole wild caraway

4 teaspoon (20 ml) whole dried mugwort

1 teaspoon (5 ml) garlic powder

2 teaspoon (10 ml) sumac

4 teaspoon (20 ml) whole pineapple

10 whole dune pepper catkins

Tofu

¼ cup (60 ml) raisins from your fall provisions (optional)

½ cup (125 ml) vegetable or chicken broth

2 tbsp (30 ml) of virgin camelina oil Signé Caméline

1 cup (250 ml) chopped onions

Salt to taste

2 cups (500 ml) carrots, finely diced

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon (5 ml) grated ginger

1 block (1 lb) firm tofu

4 teaspoon (20 ml) of the above spice blend

1 tbsp (15 ml) birch syrup

Toppings Options

Thick plain yogurt

Roasted camelina seeds Signé Caméline

Arugula sprouts or other

Preparation:

1. Grind together all the spice mix ingredients. (Use a third for the tofu stir-fry. Store the rest in an airtight container for future use).
2. If you have raisins, rehydrate them in the hot broth. To book.
3. In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil and add the onions and a little salt. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat to brown the onions.
4. Add the carrots, garlic and ginger, reduce the heat a little and continue cooking for about 10 minutes until the carrots are al dente .
5. Meanwhile, drain the tofu by pressing it in a clean dish towel to remove as much water as possible. Crumble it with your hands and set aside.
6. Add to vegetables 4 tbsp. tsp (20 ml) spice blend, crumbled tofu and birch syrup. Brown for a few minutes to bring out the aromas of the spices.
7. Add the broth and the grapes, reduce almost to dryness while mixing. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
8. Serve with a large spoonful of plain yogurt per person and garnish with camelina seeds, arugula sprouts and a pinch of Gorria pepper.

Tip : Are you missing one of the ingredients in the spice mix or are you having difficulty finding it? It's not serious! Omit it, or replace it with another local aromatic that you have or have access to.

Recipe and photo credit: Caribou