OK...as promised, here's another tofu recipe. This is for those of you that like to make your own, fresh pasta. I use a food processor for this recipe, but I suppose that you could also use a kitchenaid mixer...although, I've never tried that. Fresh pasta, done the Italian way, has an egg, or two in it. This recipe replaces the eggs with tofu and a few other seasonings. You can change this up many ways by adding other herbs and spices for taste, or color.
My basic recipe is a variation of one taken from the Crossroads cookbook, by Tal Ronnen. (Mr. Ronnen also has a very popular, plant-based restaurant in Los Angeles for which this cookbook is named for.)
Tofu Pasta
1/2 package of firm tofu (about 7-8 oz,) drained
3 cups of white flour
3 Tablespoons of olive oil
2-3 Tablespoons of water
1-2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan black salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
dash of turmeric
dash of cayenne
Place all ingredients in the food processor and blend for about 2 minutes. The dough should come together and form a ball. Open up the processor and feel the dough between your fingers. It should be smooth and elastic. If it is dry and crumbly and hasn't formed a ball, add another tablespoon of water and blend again. If it is too moist and sticky, add a tablespoon of four and blend again. Once you get it to the right consistency, remove the dough and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill it in the refrigerator for at least an hour. (I sometimes make a double batch and freeze half of it.)
After chilling, sprinkle your work surface with four and knead the dough a few times until it becomes pliable and is easy to work with. Run it through our pasta maker, or roll out to make other shapes. That part is up to you.
Cook in rapidly boiling, salted water for just 2-5 minutes. You may see the pasta float to the top of the pot as it finishes cooking. Voila!
A few notes...
-Himalayan black salt really makes the extraordinary flavor of this pasta. It has some sulfur in it that gives it an eggy taste. I found mine online. It's not that expensive and it will last you a long time. You can also use regular salt instead, if you're not into the black salt.
-Nutritional Yeast also adds a great taste...almost cheesy. Don't add too much though, or it will taste weird. Try half as much and see how you like it.
-Turmeric and cayenne add some taste, but mostly color. Again, don't add too much...just a tiny bit. Turmeric can taste bitter if you go overboard on it and cayenne can get pretty spicy if you overdo it.
If you try this, lemme know how you like it.
~ C