BBQ | Make way for grilled tofu!

Replace a piece of grilled meat with a skewer of tofu? Eve-Lyne Auger would probably have pouted a few years ago. Having become vegetarian in 2016, the culinary creator has since been seduced by tofu, to the point of devoting her third recipe book to this increasingly popular, but also still unloved, ingredient.

A “beige, flat, rubbery block,” that’s how Eve-Lyne Auger saw tofu ever since, as a child, her mother served her an Asian soup that left her more than perplexed. Faced with the need to consume vegetable proteins, she began experimenting by grating it, tearing it with her fingers, transforming it into meatballs, condiments, and desserts. “By changing its shape, its appearance and seasoning it a lot, it allowed me to integrate it more easily,” says the woman behind the web magazine La Fraîche. You can cook it, simmer it, grill it, it’s really super versatile. You have to give yourself the chance to try it differently. »

In his book Totally tofu, published last month, it offers 75 ways to cook this food derived from soy which turns out to be a more economical and lower carbon protein than meat. Seventy-five tofu recipes, isn’t that stretching the sauce a bit?

Although barbecue cooking is not highlighted in the book – “at the moment, I don’t have space to have a barbecue in Montreal on my small balcony,” she says, “but I I can’t wait to have the chance to have space and to try more recipes to put on the grill” -, we will find some dishes likely to brighten up your grill meals.

Eve-Lyne Auger immediately suggests tofu skewers with cranberry barbecue sauce. Like the skewers, the sauce is prepared on the barbecue, in a cast iron pan, but it can also be prepared on the stove. “What’s really interesting is that we use a small local fruit which gives a nice acidity to our barbecue sauce and which also has an incomparable flavor because we make it on the grill. »

She suggests using extra firm tofu to prevent the cubes from breaking once skewered. “Extra firm means they pressed the tofu long enough to extract as much water as possible,” she explains. We have a tofu that holds together really well, is solid and will skewer well. It is a texture and format of tofu that is ideal for barbecue cooking. »

She developed this recipe with her father, “the king of barbecue”, in the family.

It is also to her father that she owes the inspiration for another recipe in the book that can be made on the barbecue: corn ribs, tofu feta and Tex-Mex sauce., obtained using corn cobs cut into quarters lengthwise. Finally, to continue the exploration of vegetarian barbecue, she suggests trying her tempeh steaks with virgin tomato and coriander sauce, a recipe available on her website that she considers “incredible”.

Discover the recipe for tempeh steaks

Totally tofu

Eve-Lyne Auger

Les Éditions de l’Homme

208 pages

Tofu skewers with cranberry barbecue sauce

Preparation : 15 minutes

Cooking: 20 to 30 min

Yield : 6 skewers

Conservation : 5 days in the fridge/freeze

Ingredients

• 1 large block of 600 g of extra firm tofu
• 3 tbsp. tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 chopped French shallot
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 80 g (1/2 cup) fresh or frozen cranberries, roughly chopped after defrosting
• 1 C. tablespoon of smoked paprika
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 250 ml (1 cup) ketchup
• 2 tbsp. tbsp red wine vinegar
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) Dijon mustard
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) maple syrup
• Salt and pepper
• Suggested accompaniments: seasonal vegetables grilled or cooked in foil

Preparation

• 1. Soak six long wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes.
• 2. Cut the tofu into large cubes of equal size. Thread the tofu cubes onto the skewers. Using a brush, brush the cubes with 2 tablespoons of oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
• 3. In a cast iron skillet on the barbecue or in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon oil, shallot, garlic and cranberries. Cook 5 minutes or until cranberries become tender. Add the smoked paprika, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and maple syrup. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from sticking. Remove the sauce from the heat.
• 4. On the barbecue or in a large skillet, over high heat, cook the tofu skewers, turning halfway through, 12 minutes or until nicely browned on each side. Using the brush, coat the skewers with sauce on one side and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the skewers, brush again and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
• 5. Serve immediately.