I figure it's about time I contributed something to the list, so thought
I'd share this recipe for all the Provençal and Mediterranean food
lovers out there. I just finished making a batch, and it's positively
luscious! It's loosely adapted from the Millennium cookbook, which I
remember folks talking about last year sometime. The food in this
all-vegan cookbook is gorgeous, but a bit fancy for most of my cooking
needs. This aioli, though, and the oil-free tarragon-dijon and caesar
salad dressings are more than worth mixing up every week or so. I made
a simplified version of the aioli, omitting all the herbs called for and
niggling with the amounts of lemon juice and nutritional yeast just a
bit. If you'd like to add the herbs back in, just add smidgeons of
oregano, parsely, tarragon, and dill to taste.
Tofu Aioli
1/2 of a 12.3 oz. box of silken tofu (I used Mori-Nu low fat)
2 T. roasted garlic (I just put a small fistful of peeled cloves in a
small Pam-sprayed skillet w/ a glug of white wine, then put a lid on and
let them braise over low heat til soft. I also think I used more like
1/4 cup than 2 T.!)
1 T. light miso
juice of 1 lemon
1 T. capers
2 t. nutritional yeast (I really love nut. yeast, so I increased this to
2 T. for a richer flavor)
1/2 t. salt, or to taste (optional, since the miso and capers are salty)
1 T. water
Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
If it's too thick, add just enough water to get the mixture moving
through the blades. It's not supposed to be runny, but more like
mayonnaise. This makes roughly 1 cup. Let it stand (refrigerated) for
a couple of hours to let the flavors blend. You can easily double this
recipe. Use as a dip for raw vegetables or spread it on crusty bread.
optional: soak a pinch of saffron threads in 1 T. boiling water for a
few minutes and add along with everything else.
Dinner tonight will be marble-sized baby red bliss potatoes, roasted
whole with rosemary and coarse salt, bedded on organic field greens,
with a little dish of aioli to dress them with. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!
Jane