More Pickled Tofu

After the success of my last pickled tofu, I am in a pickling frenzy. Next I pickled tofu & beets. I used Aunt Nellie's (but YOUR favourite brand would do) pickled beets & juice. It's even easier than the Tofu with Dill:

Pickled Tofu with Beets

1 block firm tofu
6-8 pearl onions
4 cloves of garlic, julienned
4-6 pickled beets, diced
leftover red wine (any kind of drinkable red wine will do, experiment with your favorite)
1/2 C (125ml) leftover pickled beet juice

Cut the tofu block in half, length-wise & parallel to the table. Place the halves between two cutting boards or a cutting board and a plate. Tilt them slightly (put a knife handle or a fork or something underneath to add a moderate slope) and place a light weight on the top one… I used a 6" (15cm) iron fry pan. Let the extra water drain from the tofu while you prep the rest. Slice the pearl onions in half, lengthwise, cutting the roots and the top ends off. Slip off the skins. Heat a small fry pan on medium high heat, drizzle a little sesame oil in (or olive oil, if you prefer) and swirl to coat the bottom. Put the onions, sliced sides down and brown them until almost burned, flip them over ( I use cooking chopsticks) and push on them to separate the layers. Toss them for a minute or two until they have softened and browned on the other side. While the onions are browning, slice up your garlic and beets. Turn the heat down to medium low, add the garlic, and stir. Let that sauté a bit until it begins to soften, being careful that you don't let it burn and turn bitter. Meanwhile, pat the drained tofu lightly on both sides with a clean cloth or paper towel, then slice each half into thirds lengthwise. Cut those slices crosswise forming little cubes. Place tofu & beets within storage container. Increase your heat to medium. Add the wine to deglaze the pan. Stir for a moment. Pour pickling juice into hot pan and stir until hot and it just begins to boil. Remove pan from heat and let cool for a minute so that you don't melt your container and then pour it over the tofu and beets . Make sure all the tofu is below the pickling juice. If not add a little more. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days.

As with the dilly tofu, I put a half of a block's worth into my bento lunches and added a little more protein with nuts and/or cheese. Aloha!