Monday, July 17, 2006

Lemon-Rosemary Stirfry with Caramelized Onions


So I've never ever caramelized onions before but felt a sudden burst of inspiration Thursday night when I realized I had a little bit of time to spare and a little bit of onion to use up. Holy mother of god--caramelizing onions is the fricking easiest. And they are SO VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY good. And I don't even like onions.

In an effort to use up leftovers, I whipped this stirfry up. Not quite so simple as the annoyingly simple stirfry I posted last week, but just as good. The broccoli and tofu will be *very* lemony, but once you mix them in with the caramelized onion, you will have a lovely contrast of sweet and sour.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 block of extra-firm tofu, pressed for 45 minutes or so
A couple florets of broccoli, the bushy parts cut off into small chunks
One vidalia onion
2 lemons
Fresh rosemary
Walnuts, toasted
Olive oil
Sugar
Two servings of couscous, cooked

DIRECTIONS:

While the tofu is being pressed, squeeze the juice from your two (small) lemons into a bowl. Add some fresh rosemary to taste. Let sit.

Put the olive oil (I used 2 T., but you can probably vary this) in a small saucepan and heat. Slice up your vidalia into thin slices and then add to the oil. Once the onion has begun to soften (about 5 minutes) add a teaspoon of vegan sugar and stir. Let the onion continue to cook for near 10 minutes or so, stirring often--it will begin to turn a rich brown color and get beautifully sweet, which means you are successfully caramelizing it.

While it caramelizes, dice up your tofu, and add this to a frying pan (perhaps with a bit of non-stick spray). Add the lemon-rosemary mixture. Fry until it is beginning to brown some. Add the broccoli. Add a tiny bit of sugar (no more than a teaspoon). Fry until the broccoli is tender.

Toss the vidalia onions, tofu, and broccoli over your cooled couscous. Add walnuts to taste.

Drink a toast to caramelized onions!

Makes 2 medium-sized servings or 1 very large serving.

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