Tofu, Dandelion & Pickled Apple

"I have always felt that one of the things that you can miss in plant-based cuisine is the flavours of the sea, which can be so transportive and nostalgic. In this small dish of tofu, cooked wrapped in kelp, the flavours from slow cooking in seaweed are complemented by a vibrant dandelion sauce with fresh, bright, pickled apple." – Eddie Shepherd (award-winning modern plant-based chef)

Serves 12 (as a tasting course)

Tofu Cooked in Kombu

Ingredients

• 500g firm tofu

• Zest of 6 lemons

• 30g fresh thyme

• 150g rapeseed oil

• 20g dried kombu (kelp)

Method

Place the kombu in cold water to rehydrate for one hour. Then cut the kombu into long thin strips.

Cut the tofu in rectangular pieces and place each piece of tofu on a strip of kombu.

Sprinkle the tofu generously with sea salt then roll it up in the kombu and place the bundle in a vacuum bag or zip lock bag. Continue until all the tofu is wrapped and placed in the bag.

Place the lemon zest, thyme & rapeseed oil in the bag with the tofu then seal. Cook the tofu in a water bath at 60°C for 12 hours.

Dandelion Sauce

Ingredients

• 75g freshly picked dandelion petals

• 500g caster sugar

• 1 litre water

• 30g citric acid

• juice & zest of four lemons

Method

Pick the yellow petals from the dandelion heads and throw away the rest of the head (this is laborious but necessary). You want 75g of just petals.

Combine the sugar, citric acid, water, lemon zest and juice and bring to a simmer, then allow the liquid to cool to room temperature.

Add the dandelion petals to the cooled liquid and allow the mix to steep and infuse at room temperature for two days, then strain and bottle or freeze the sauce.

Blueberry Pickled Apple

Ingredients

• 2 crisp fresh apples

• 200g blueberry vinegar (see below)

Method

For the freshest flavour the pickled apple should be prepared using a vacuum machine just before serving.

Cut the apple into small 2mm cubes. Place these small pieces of apple in a vacuum bag with the blueberry vinegar.

Then vacuum them on 100% in a chamber vacuum sealer to flash pickle the apples.

If you don’t have access to a vacuum machine you can marinade the apple in blueberry vinegar for around 6 hours in the fridge instead.

Blueberry Vinegar

Ingredients

• 100g blueberries

• 400g cider vinegar

• 10g salt

• 200g caster sugar

To Serve

Ingredients

• Dandelion sauce

• Lemon infused oil - optional

Method

Blend together the blueberries, vinegar, salt and caster sugar. Then strain this mixture through a fine sieve and reserve in the fridge until ready to use.

Method

Remove the tofu from the bag and unwrap it from the kombu.

Blowtorch the tofu until lightly browned on the outside to give it some charred flavour and a slight cooked crust. Then cut the tofu into cubes.

67.4% less emissions than a Pork, Dandelion and Pickled Apple dish.

1.3 milesbetter perportion

Place a cube of tofu in a small bowl and top it with a small spoon of the blueberry pickled apple.

Drizzle over some of the dandelion sauce.

Finish the dish with a few drops of lemon oil and a sprig of fresh fennel.

For more info about Eddie Shepherd, head to: www.veggiechef.co.uk