Making Tofu Tasty
I was going to call this article “Marinades,” but that seemed so bland! With barbecue season in full swing, it would be rare not to find meat, fish, vegetables, tofu, or all of these marinating in my fridge. Maybe it’s just because we make our living catering, or that in my previous career I was a lab tech, always planning my days around time-sensitive incubation steps. For whatever reason, I am always planning meals ahead and like to start my day with one step under my belt.
One very time-sensitive step in most summertime barbecue recipes is the marinating. Marinating means “to pickle.” In its true sense, the primary reason for marinating is to tenderize. The marinade should always contain an acid such as vinegar, citric acid (from lemons or limes) or fermented products such as beer, wine, liquor or soy sauce. The majority of us probably look at marinating as a means to infuse our dishes with a variety of flavours. In the case of tofu, this can make the difference between serving pieces of styrofoam or something attractive and yummy that even the kids will eat. Oil-based marinades are used to help drier foods such as very lean cuts of meat, poultry and white fish retain their moisture.
Don’t consider this just a good excuse to finish off those partial bottles of dressings, mustards and sauces that somehow keep accumulating in your fridge door! Thought should always be given to the flavour motif of the entire meal: Mexican; Italian; Indonesian; Caribbean; or Oriental? You should probably avoid trying to combine soy sauce with oregano or basil, and maybe not attempt coconut milk and beer. But who knows? Some of the strangest combos have turned out great; now if only I had written them down! Sake, vermouth, whiskey; these are all fair game for marinades. Think of flavoured mustards and flavoured vinegars, fruit and vegetable juices, fresh ginger and always lots of fresh garlic. Garlic goes with everything! For Indian flavoured foods, a mix of yoghurt, lime juice and spices such as coriander and curry makes an easy marinade. I also sometimes simply do chicken or vegetables in a good balsamic vinegar.
As a general rule, the tougher (usually cheaper) the cut of meat, the longer you need to marinate. Blade roasts and short ribs can be marinated for up to 48 hrs; flank or round steaks 24 hours. More tender cuts should only be marinated a few hours. Leaving them longer could reduce their texture to mush if you are using a lot of acid in your marinade. I do chicken breast routinely over-night with great results, as well as spareribs. Boiling spareribs first will allow them to absorb the marinade better. Try bourbon on your ribs, its my favourite. Be careful when marinating vegetables for the grill. They tend to absorb too much of the marinade, especially if there is salt or sugar in the mix and can lose all of their crispness and natural juices. They are better tossed lightly in marinade just before cooking. Firm fish such as salmon, tuna or halibut can also be left over night, but more delicate fish such as sole shouldn’t be left for more that a few hours. If you simply want to infuse the meat with flavour, but don’t want to tenderize further, you probably just require a rub of your favourite fresh and dried herbs and seasonings.
Because a marinade contains acid, you should always use non-reactive dishes (glass and plastic) and utensils. Piercing the meat helps the flavours seep in. For chicken parts, those sandwich bags with the nifty zipper closures work great. If I find out that I don’t need to cook after-all, I simply throw the baggie into the freezer for another time. Now I am doubly organized.
Reserve the used marinade to baste and if you want to get a nice glaze, you can add a sweetener such as ketchup, maple syrup, hoisin sauce or honey near the end of cooking time. Sugar in the marinade early on, will char, unless you cook at a low temp or indirect heat.
Marinating should always be done in the refrigerator, and be cautious that all dishes containing marinade, especially when doing chicken, are cleaned properly and kept away from any food that you will be eating raw.
One final word of warning before you go running to the fridge to see what you can get rid of: if you didn’t like that wine, beer, or salad dressing before you threw it into the back of your fridge, don’t ruin your next meal with it. I am sure you have heard the adage before: If you can’t drink it, don’t cook with it.
It seems that every barbecue season,
the question of whether or not barbecuing poses a health
risk surfaces. Marinating foods may be one way to reduce
the risks inherent in grilling meats and I will talk about
that in the next issue.