TOFU EN PAPILLOTE

SERVES 2

En papillote simply means cooked in a paper pouch. I’ve had tofu ‘fish’ many times but I was craving something like a steamed fish so I decided to try it en papillote. It’s really good and really fun. You can do this in one big paper pocket or individual pockets so you can serve it in its paper and let guests or family members tear it open.

TOFU ‘STEAKS’

300g firm tofu

½ sheet nori

½ bulb fennel

2 thick slices lemon

1 teaspoon fresh thyme or dill, finely chopped

MARINADE

¼ cup white wine juice of ½ lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

⅛ teaspoon dried herbs de Provence (or mixed herbs) ⅛ teaspoon dried dill pinch white pepper cracked black pepper

½ teaspoon flaky sea salt

Cut tofu through the middle to create two 3–4 cm thick steaks. Drain on a tea towel while preparing marinade.

Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.

Score tofu on one side, carefully cutting to the middle of the tofu, without cutting right through. Make each slice a couple of millimetres apart so you get a ‘gill’ vibe. Place tofu into a shallow dish and pour the marinade over the steaks. Cover and leave to rest in the fridge for at least an hour, but preferably overnight.

Reserving the marinade, remove steaks from marinade and place onto nori sheet, un-scored side down. Cut around the steaks and discard any excess nori sheet, reserving it to throw into stocks, soups or carrot lox. Your tofu will stick to the seaweed, creating a nori ‘skin’ on one side of the tofu steak.

Slice fennel bulb into thick slices and set aside. Take a long length of recycled baking paper, fold in half, then fold both sides 3 times to create a papillote or paper pocket. You will need to make two. You can tie or staple these if you like but they’ll hold pretty well with 3 folds.

Heat a little oil in a pan on medium heat until almost smoking. Carefully place each steak into the pan, scored side down. Fry for 2–3 minutes without touching, until a slight skin forms on the tofu. Place the tofu steaks into each papillote with the equally divided fennel, lemon slices and herbs. Pour the marinade over and roll the open edge downwards to seal the pocket.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 20–25 minutes. Serve your steaks and fennel pieces with a creamy sauce or the leftover marinade, some green beans, potatoes, and of course… crusty bread.