Bourdain Recooked (HT)

We've been watching a lot of the Shakespeare Retold series from the BBC and it's starting to show. Some of those movies are really cool and others are kind of like putting a puzzle together, trying to understand how it has anything to do with Shakespeare. We've watched a couple of unrelated but really good Shakespeare based movies, too: She's the Man and Scotland, PA. I admit, the first 10 minutes of She's the Man were hard to take, but it gets better. Anyway, on to the food.

While this is a total Bourdain recipe (closer to him than most I've made), it got a little fusion-y when I served it with spaghetti. Get this - it's made with soy curls (instead of short ribs of veal) and is really a knock-out recipe. It might just be my favorite so far. Once your curls are soaked and squeezed, the rest comes together easily. One of our omni friends was here for dinner, and he kept snitching it out of the pan. It's that good.

Tendron de Soy Curls with Lemon
(originally Tendron de Veau Lemon Confit)
Serves 4 generously

2 1/2 cups soy curls
4 cups boiling water (to soak)
1/4 cup tamari
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 cup white wine
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 boullion cube
1 Tbsp Byranna's Chicken Powder
salt and pepper

2- 3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp earth balance

1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
14.5 oz can plum tomatoes, drained
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups reserved soaking water (or broth)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
bouquet garni
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
salt to taste
1 # spaghetti

First thing is to get those curls soaking. Heat your water then add all the ingredients in the upper part of the list. Keep in mind that the curls expand, so use a big bowl. Let them soak for at least a half hour, but longer is better. I wouldn't go overnight, but up to a few hours. Then it's important to squeeze all the liquid out of them that you can. This part of the recipe is the least fun. I usually squish them with my hands and a strainer countless times, then spread them on paper towels and squeeze out even more. No need to be obsessive, but get them as dry as you can. Keep 1 1/2 cups of the liquid.

Heat the oil and earth balance in a large frying pan and cook the curls (in batches if you have to) until they start to brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

If your pan is dry, add another tablespoon of olive oil, then add the onions and carrots. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, crushing them up as you go. Cook for a few minutes, then add the flour. Be sure to scrape the goodies off the bottom of the pan. Cook another few minutes. This is where this recipe starts to look cool. As the tomatoes break down, the sauce comes together. Add the 1/2 cup of wine and cook until it reduces by half. Add the reserved liquid, the bouquet garni, garlic, lemon pepper and soy curls. Let simmer 20 - 30 minutes so the soy curls pick up more of the flavor. Add the lemon juice and parsley, season to taste with salt and remove the bouquet garni. We had it over pasta, but it would be great with mashed potatoes, too.

Notes:

Bryanna's Chicken Powder recipe can be found here. It's really versatile and I always keep some on hand. By the way, I don't use the soymilk powder and I use whatever dried sage I can get it at the co-op. It hasn't failed me yet.

Yes, I really made a bouquet garni. And you can, too! It's one sprig of parsley, 2 sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf tied together with kitchen twine (or string). The Man says you can put it in cheese cloth for easier removal, but I didn't have cheese cloth and didn't have any problems, either.

The original recipe called for 1/2 a preserved lemon. While I'm sure that would be a great addition, I wasn't about to make them and wait 30 days so I used lemon juice and lemon pepper instead.

This would be great with tempeh instead of soy curls, too. Skip the soaking idea and just bake cubed tempeh in the marinade.

The parsley was actually supposed to be for garnish, but I added it to the dish. It's better that way, do it.

Tonight's dinner: Another Bourdain. I'll keep you in suspense.