Sweet Pepper Confit Tofu Mayo

other recipes

Summer

|

1 hr

|

1 pint

Chris, a cook I used to work with, introduced this blended tofu concept to me. At the time, we were smoking firm tofu for a vegan caesar-like dressing. I’ve since adapted the recipe to something more neutral that can be used as an ingredient, just as you would mayo. Using soft tofu yields a creamy result and blanching it removes some of the green notes you would get if eaten raw (I learned this from Chinese Cooking Demystified’s Mapo Tofu recipe). 
Confiting the peppers (read: low and slow frying [but technically..]) does three things: gets us the golden brown and delicious flavor from the peppers that we want, infuses the oil we’re going to use for the mayo with that flavor, and removes a lot of the water from the peppers to give the mayo a nice rich texture. You could skip the peppers and just use oil to make a plain Tofu Mayo for slaws, sandwiches, pasta salads, creamy dressings, or any other place you would use mayo. Or just use this bell pepper version for those same things as well.

Ingredients

from your CSA Club Share

  • Bell Pepper – 1 ea (~1.5c chopped)
    • You could use any color!

from your pantry

  • Neutral Oil – ⅓ c
    • Our everyday oil is sunflower oil from Century Sun Oil. Based in Wisconsin, Century Sun cold presses Illinois-grown sunflower seeds to make this oil. They’re a little more challenging to source besides purchasing from their website. Reach out if you’re interested in trying it though.
  • Soft Tofu – ½ block (~245 g)
    • We love Phoenix Bean since they source all their non-gmo soy from Illinois farms. Find them at a number of asian and specialty grocery stores.
  • Mustard – ½ t
    • Any type would work, but we use a grainy yellow mustard.
  • White Vinegar – 3 t
  • Sugar – 3 t
  • Salt – 2 t
  • Hot sauce – 2 splash
    • Any type would work. A touch of cayenne powder would also work.

larder items

Nothing for this recipe!

tools

  • Food processor or blender

Directions

mise

  1. Rough chop the bell pepper into ~2” pieces.
  2. In a small pot over medium-low heat, combine the oil and peppers. Gently simmer until the peppers have turned a deep gold and look wrinkly, ~30 mins. The bubbles should be constant, but not vigorous. The bubbles will begin to look less foamy once the peppers are ~5 mins from being done. Be sure to remove from the heat before the bubbles completely stop, otherwise it will quickly burn.
  3. In the meantime, bring a pot of well-salted water to a slight simmer.
    1. Cut up the tofu into ~2” cubes and place into the water once simmering. Simmer 2-3 mins. Remove from heat and allow to soak until ready to use.
  4. Once the peppers are a golden dark green, remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool to a comfortable temperature.

cook

  1. In a food processor or blender, combine the tofu, mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, and hot sauce. Once the peppers and oil have cooled, remove the peppers and add them to the blender, reserving the oil. Blend until smooth, ~1 min.
  2. Scrape down the sides and add in the oil. Blend ~ 1-2 mins, until the mixture is smoother and light. Taste and adjust and seasoning if needed. The mayo will stiffen up after refrigerating. Empty into a deli or other container and store refrigerated for up to two weeks.

plate

Use steamed artichoke, broccoli, crispy potatoes, steak, or any other locally-sourced food as a vehicle for your tasty mayo.