Elevating a tried and true cold weather meal, the following recipe for Teriyaki Tofu Stuffed Acorn Squash will give you the opportunity to learn new skills, practice techniques, and master a new sauce for your arsenal.
Teriyaki Sauce – this will keep, unadulterated, for up to three months in the fridge.
- soy sauce – any variety, any brand. Low sodium is fine. If you are gluten-free, soy is notoriously not, check the ingredients label diligently!
- mirin – high sugar, low alcohol content rice wine. What I’ve been able to find easily is “aji-mirin” which is basically a cheap alternative, but it works!
- dark brown sugar – yes, light brown sugar will work just as well, but I prefer the deeper molasses taste from dark brown sugar (always)
Combine the above in equal amounts. If you aren’t sure that you will like the final product, start with 1/4 cup of each and a very small sauce pan. Over medium heat, stir continuously until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the heat up to medium-high, stirring and scraping down the sides of the pot occasionally until it has come to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally until it has reached your preferred sauce consistency. Err on the side of too thick as the moisture from whatever you toss in your sauce will thin it.
This sauce can be dressed up with minced fresh ginger and/or garlic. Store leftovers in a lidded contained in the fridge. If you have added any ingredients beyond the initial three, I would recommend using leftovers within a week. I like to make a batch of rice at the same time as a base for quick and easy savory breakfast. Toss with some vegetables (raw, roasted, sauteed) and your favorite protein. You can even dress it up with a fried or soft boiled egg.
We are a household full of kitchen gadgets, but one thing we have so far gone without is a spiralizer. Maybe this dish would have been cuter topped with a vegetable nest, but these super easy matchstick veg can be made with the pokey side of your vegetable peeler. This goes for anytime you want matchsticks without the agony of hand cutting them, such as coleslaw. Use the peeler as normal, but pokey side to your vegetable. In this case, I used both carrot and watermelon (daikon) radish. After matchsticking, I placed the veg in a bowl covered with cold water and into the fridge. This keeps them crisp for days.
To roast acorn squash:
- preheat oven to 400°F
- halve squash from stem to tip, scoop out and discard the seeds and stringy goopy bits, and generously coat both halves inside with oil (olive, canola, or vegetable are fine) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- place squash on pretty much anything oven safe with low sides, cut side up
- roast, basting the squash with oil that has dripped off the edges into the “bowl” a few times, until the flesh is easily pierced all the way through with a fork.
- ** if you prefer not to use so much oil: lightly oil a baking sheet, place the squash inverted – cut side down – onto the baking sheet. This way, it will steam itself.
For crispy tofu:
This trick was learned through trial and error. While I LOVE fried tofu, I despise frying things. It takes a lot of oil, it’s messy, the clean up sucks, and me and the house smell like used oil all day. Yum… Instead, try this:
- Start with extra firm tofu. If you have a tofu press, skip to the next step, if not: Remove from the packaging and dry with a tea towel. Wrap the tofu in a different tea towel, and then another fluffier towel. [note: any kitchen towels are fine, I like to use not fluffy ones for touching the tofu. If this makes you uncomfortable and lint-fearing, wrap the tofu in a piece of paper towel first before layering in cloth]
- Place the tofu on a flat surface. Top the tofu with heavy stuff. Things I have previously used: multiple large cookbooks, bricks/stones, Kitchenaid stand mixer, bowl full of potatoes… use your imagination, but make sure the heavy things will not topple or if they do that they are not breakable. I like to use the back corner of my countertop where the weight can be supported on two sides by the walls. As the tofu settles, the weight will likely shift and may even fall off. Leave for 30 minutes up to two hours.
- Remove weights and wrapping, and slice the tofu vertically into ~ 1/2 inch slices. Lay the slices directly on the rack of either a toaster oven or full size oven (depending on the spacing of the rails on your racks, you may need to finagle this a bit). Turn the heat on to 350-375°F and bake until evenly, lightly browned, approximately 25 minutes. Turn off the oven, prop the door open and let cool slightly before removing.
This crispy tofu will pair perfectly with the rice and teriyaki sauce awaiting you for breakfast. I like to eat it exactly as is or slice it further into strips for use in salads or wraps.
To beef up this stuffed squash, I sauteed some wilting bok choy, totsoi, and onions, which I tossed with the cubed, crispy tofu.
This can easily be served in the squash, as is, straight from the oven. To make it look fancier, I used a circular mold to create a roasted squash “bowl”, set atop some local pea shoots. I filled this with the tofu veg mixture, drizzled on some teriyaki sauce, topped with matchstick carrots and watermelon radish. The combination of different textures and flavors of seasonal, local vegetables was delightful and can, of course, be adapted with whatever you have on hand.
Eat - Drink - Both 