Dinner tonight was unintentionally monochromatic, but insanely delicious. I was shocked at how well it came out given I made up the recipe on the spot. This is saying a lot since I tend to be very hard on myself in the kitchen and am always thinking of ways to improve. Rarely do I commend myself for a job well done, but this dish was worth it.
It was inspired by a Persian dish called fesenjan. A friend of mine gave me a taste of a vegetarian version of the dish a few months back with veggie meat balls and ever since I’ve been wanting to make it myself. I never got her recipe so I decided to invent my own after consulting a recipe for Persian Pomegranate-Walnut Chicken from Cooking Light as well as several vegetarian recipes including Fesenjan-e Bademjan (Eggplant and Pomegranate Braise) from Vegetarian Times. Mine incorporates some things I happened to have on hand (I’m all about using up things in my pantry and refrigerator): lite firm tofu, Chinese eggplant, wheat berries, veggie broth, and a mix of walnuts and almonds (I didn’t have enough walnuts on hand). The resulting recipe is 100% vegan and very delicious.
I started by roasting the Chinese eggplant and lite firm tofu, chunked, in the oven with a little olive oil. I love roasting because it elevates the flavor of vegetables and gives tofu a nice crust without much oil. While the eggplant and tofu were in the oven I worked on my wheat berries and sauce. I simmered my presoaked wheat berries in vegetable broth and a small pinch of saffron. I think this infuses them with SO much more flavor than water alone. The sauce came from reducing down onion, garlic, POM juice, veggie broth, saffron, cinnamon, sugar and tomato paste. I then tossed in the tofu and eggplant in the finished sauce and served along side the cooked wheat berries.
The verdict: I went back for seconds. Enough said. Seriously though, this dish was great. The sauce is a perfect balance of sweet, sour and savory. Because the sauce is very flavorful it also really perks up the mild tofu. The Chinese eggplant is also great in this dish because it has a thinner skin than the American/Globe eggplant which makes it more tender and fewer seeds so it’s less bitter. It’s definitely becoming my favorite variety of eggplant.
The wheat berries were also a very nice compliment to the dish. The first time I made them I wasn’t crazy about them at all, but I think simmering them in a flavorful liquid and serving them along side bold flavors really helped. Texturally, they really helped add variety to the dish since you got the soft feel of the eggplant, the nice crust of the outside of the tofu, and the chew of the wheat berries. I’m really looking forward to eating the leftovers to see if time enhances the depth of the flavors.
Roasted Tofu and Eggplant in a Nutty Pomegranate Sauce
Serves 4-6 less hungry people (or about 3 really hungry people)
Note: I used a combination of walnuts and almonds because I didn’t have a full cup of walnuts, but feel free to do so if you have enough at home.
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 package lite firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 Chinese eggplants, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted halves
1/2 cup almonds, toasted slices
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup less-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
Dash of ground cinnamon
Extra toasted nuts for garnish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Spread out the tofu cubes on one sheet pan and the eggplant on the other. (The tofu takes much longer than the eggplant to roast so you’ll want to keep them separate.) Spray the tofu and eggplant with the cooking spray and toss them lightly to coat. Roast them in the oven. The eggplant will bake for about 20 minutes (you want it to be nice and tender), while the tofu will take closer to 45-60 minutes depending on your desired texture. I highly recommend turning the tofu half way through the cooking to make sure it becomes evenly golden.
While the eggplant and tofu are roasting, start on the sauce. Place the toasted nuts in a food processor and process until finely ground. Coat a large, nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add the teaspoon salt, pepper, ground walnuts, broth, and the remaining ingredients except the extra toasted nuts (if using), stirring with a whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil; Reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to 1 1/2 cups (about 15 minutes), stirring occasionally.
Add the tofu and eggplant to the pan. Toss the tofu, eggplant and sauce together to coat. Garnish with extra toasted nuts, if desired, and serve with wheat berries (recipe below).
Extra Flavorful Wheat Berries
Ingredients:
1 cup wheat berries
3 1/2 cups less-sodium vegetable broth
Small pinch saffron
Soak wheat berries overnight according to the package directions. Strain the wheat berries out of the soaking liquid. Bring 3 1/2 cups of vegetable broth to a boil in a pot. Add pre-soaked wheat berries and saffron and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until all the liquid is absorbed and the wheat berries are tender, but still a bit chewy (about 50 minutes).
