My One and Only Tofu Recipe

I'm not a big fan of tofu. I don't like the taste or texture, but many years ago I created a tofu recipe based on a dish I had in a restaurant in San Diego. That dish had shrimp in it and I'm not sure what made me use tofu instead, but it came out great. Today I made it for the first time in quite a while, and I thought I'd share it. It's pretty adaptable; you can throw in whatever veggies you have and it comes out tasty. The one part I suggest sticking to is compressing the liquid out of the tofu. Otherwise, your meal will be a soggy mess. The extra-firm tofu works best, and I dry it out by slicing the block of tofu lengthwise into two or three "slabs", pressing them between paper towels until the paper towels come away barely damp. Next, cut into cubes and brown in hot oil (I use chili oil). While the tofu is browning (or before if you don't have a lot of cooking space), cook one pound of fettucine and drain. While the pasta pan is still hot (but off the burner), add one jar hoisin sauce and a cup of peanut butter. (I know it sounds weird, but trust me; it's good.) Coat the drained pasta with the hoisin/peanut butter mixture and keep warm.

Chop one large onion and three carrots into even-sized pieces. Saute until tender-crisp in the same pan you cooked the tofu in, adding more oil if necessary. This is where you can get creative. I've added pea pods and sprouts, but today I didn't have those. I sauteed some mushrooms and red peppers, adding them to the pan when the onions and carrots were almost finished. Next comes the hard part: working the tofu and vegetables into the pasta. This is a chore no matter which way I've tried to do it, but I've found a tossing method works best. If you have a pasta fork, all the better. Once it's mixed well, put in a large bowl and refrigerate. I like it cold, but sometimes I heat it in the microwave. Give it a try, and if you figure out a better way to incorporate the veggies, let me know!