root vegetables and escarole with tofu / ortaggi a radice e scarola con tofu

jump to Recipe

root vegetables and escarole with tofu

Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the memoir Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten¹. I am aware Garten is a popular cookbook author and food TV personality. I don't watch TV (of any kind) so don't know her. The book's style is lively and if you are interested in the author, you will probably enjoy reading it.

There was a long wait list to get the book from the library, and when I finally started reading it and doing some research on her recipes, I got sick, in a way that made experimenting in the kitchen out of the question for a while. I am finally better, but also short on time and not yet comfortable in straying far from foods I know I can consume. I had made the recipe below a few times while reading the book, before getting sick and I made it again after I got better, as it belongs to the "safe" category. Adjusting to life happening,I may say.

bunches of daikon radish at the San Rafael farmers' market
(my favorite are the purple ones)

Spring brings to the farmers' market ingredients I enjoy using, including red spring onions, spring leeks, purple daikon. I still remember the day, a few years ago, when a farmer at the Temescal market in Oakland, suggested I try purple daikon: it's become a favorite, both raw and cooked. And as with other root vegetables, its greens are edible, so when you purchase a beautiful bunch like those in the photo below, you get two vegetables. 

Beside daikon radish (daikon), as root vegetables I used carrots (carote) and red radishes (ravanelli), plus another favorite vegetable escarole. It a type of endive, slightly bitter, and delightfully so. In the photo above you see the curly variety of escarole. like to use the outer leaves (foglie esterne) in a cooked dish, while I add the inner, tenderer leaves to salads. Using carrots and escarole in the same dish creates a delicious bittersweet combination.³

Sometimes, when unwell, I crave a specific food: I like to interpret this as my body telling me what it needs, so I listen. This time it was baked tofu. I decided to purchase it already prepared, which makes the dish quite quick to prepare, another nice feature when energy is low.

If using only olive oil, the dish is vegan. I like to substitute 1/2 tablespoon of the oil with butter (unsalted), which goes well with the carrots.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Root vegetables and escarole with tofu

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces / 85 grams carrots
• 3 ounces purple daikon radishes OR a combination of purple daikon radishes and red radishes
• 3 ounces / 85 grams escarole leaves
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 ounces red spring onion, clean weight, diced small
• ¼ teaspoon Harissa spice mix
• Leaves from 4-5 thyme sprigs
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml hot water
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
• 1 ¾ ounces / 50 grams baked tofu, sliced thin and each slice halved

Scrub the carrots well and scrape the surface to remove a thin layer of skin, then grate them using the extra-coarse side of a hand grater.

Scrub the daikon radishes and red radishes (if using) then grate them using the extra-coarse side of a hand grater.

Wash and drain the escarole leaves, halve them lengthwise then slice them crosswise into 1-inch / 2.5 cm strips.

Warm up the olive oil in a 10-inch / 25-cm skillet.

Add the onion, lower the heat and stir, then after 1 minute, add the grated carrot and stir, sprinkle the harissa spice mix, add the thyme, and stir well. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 minutes, stirring often. 

Add the daikon and radishes, if using, to the skillet and stir. Add the hot water and stir, then cover and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the escarole to the skillet, stir well, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring a few times.

Uncover, sprinkle the sea salt and stir.

Distribute the tofu on the vegetables and allow it to warm through, 2 minutes or so. Fold the tofu into the vegetables (as in the top photo) or leave it on the surface (as in the photo below).

Before removing the skillet from the heat, taste to ensure the vegetables are tender to your liking.

Remove from the heat and serve warm.

Serves 2.

one portion, plated

You can add more tofu, if you wish. I find the amount given in the recipe a good balance with the vegetables for a side dish (contorno).

---

¹ The book's page on the author's website
² The brand of baked tofu I like [this is not a paid link]

---

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

ortaggi a radice e scarola con tofu

or launch the ortaggi a radice e scarola con tofu [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems]

---

This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Debra of Eliot's Eats. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

---

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

---

daikon radish, red radish, carrot, escarole, thyme, tofu

Comments

[Debra Eliotseats]

So sorry you were sick. I hope you are much better now!

[Wendy Klik]

I'm so sorry you were under the weather and I'm very glad you are feeling better now.

[Claudia]

It's good to hear you are better Simona! We've certainly had our trials this past month! I'm planning a cruise to recover. The tofu and veggies sound very healing and good.