| Moscow Food Co-op Recipes | |
Drenched In Barbecue
by Jen Hirt, from the December 2002 newsletter
I realize the winter holiday season is perhaps the least appropriate time for
a barbecue dish, but I’m all in favor of toppling the arbitrary season-restriction
paradigms on certain recipes. My eagerness may be misguided — I confess
I’ve been a patron of produce sections that ignore the seasons, and thus
I’ve gone season-blind. Luckily, this recipe includes items that are always
in season (even if the flavor summons July evenings on the back porch) and perhaps
this is the barbecue dish that will transcend summer picnics.
Most barbecue sauces require Worcestershire sauce. I have eliminated this ingredient for two reasons, one practical and one not. The practical reason: I didn’t have any Worcestershire sauce when concocting this dish (which is based on a recipe I noticed on the lentil bag). The other reason: due to a mental block, I cannot ever pronounce Worcestershire correctly. The wind-tunnel effect of attempting to enunciate those syllables gets all jumbled between my brain and my mouth. I propose it be spelled Worshtershire. I also often mispronounced cognac, but I guess my alternate spelling (coneyak) is not so elegant. I’ve also been told I am saying roof and root all wrong. But soy and lemon juice, which are my candidates for replacing Worcestershire sauce, are easily pronounced.
Lentils and tofu in barbecue sauce
Serves 2-4 as a side dish
8 oz. (about 1 ½ cups) dry lentils
3 ½ cups water
8 oz. firm tofu, in small cubes
8 oz. tomato or spaghetti sauce
¼ cup molasses
¼ cup ketchup
2 tbsp. minced onion
½ tbsp. vinegar
½ tsp. soy sauce
½ tsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. dry mustard
Optional toppings:
Grated Cheddar, French-fried onions, dried minced onions, or crumbled potato/corn chips
Preheat the oven to 350.
In a medium pan, bring the lentils and water to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 15-20 minutes.
While the lentils submit to the fantastic power of boiling, cube the tofu and press it between paper towels. Pressing firm tofu is important – drive out the bland tofu water and make way for the tangy sauce, which the tofu will absorb as it cooks. Set something heavy on the tofu — a book or a pot will work fine. You can almost witness the paper towels soak up the excess water, and it’s intriguing but I hope it’s not the most exciting part of your day.
When the lentils are soft, drain them and transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Add the tofu. Mix all the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. This is the barbecue sauce. It should look velvety, and have a distinctive barbecue scent. Add the barbecue sauce to the lentils and tofu. Mix well. Spoon into an oiled casserole dish. Cover and bake for about 25 minutes.
Uncover, add optional toppings, and cook for another five minutes. Serve hot. It makes a good side dish or a light lunch.
Jen Hirt is an MFA student in creative writing at the University of Idaho. She's working on a collection of essays about greenhouses.
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