What's the Spoon: Nashville Hot Tofu Sandwich (Patreon)

Hi Piggies, it's Producer Adam. We're off for Matt's birthday to give him the greatest gift of all: not having to podcast. But you're getting a little slop patch to ease the withdrawal.

As many as 3 people have asked for some recipes since we began doing What’s the Spoon segments, and I’m happy to share a few here. I’m an avid home cook and a lot of my recipes come from - or have been adapted from - other sources. I’ll credit where I can. When I mention a brand name it’s because that’s what I use. I don’t get any referral money. I am not an influencer. Check one of my 9-like instagram posts if you need proof of the limits of my influence.

I’m a vegetarian and I do a lot of vegan cooking. When I do mention something non-vegan, you can usually make some subs and get it all the way there. I used to love meat, but all of my doctors’ warnings about my diet started to come true around the beginning of the pandemic, and I made the switch. Part of the key for me was finding comfort dishes that touched the same part of my brain as some of my meat favorites. They weren’t the same, exactly, but they hit some of the same notes. I loved Howlin’ Ray’s Nashville Hot Chicken in LA, and this is my vegetarian paean to the fried chicken sandwich.

Nashville Hot Tofu Sandwich with Avocado-Pickle Relish (Slaw?)

Let’s start with the bread. I use this dough recipe by Claire Saffitz: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022248-all-purpose-enriched-bread?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share

I make my buns 85g apiece, and I wait to add the salt until the end of the first mix, to make sure the yeast has been hydrated and fed before salting. If you want to make them vegan you can sub aquafaba or seltzer water and a bit of baking powder for the eggs, and use vegan butter and oat milk where appropriate. This is a batch I made using vegan subs: https://www.instagram.com/p/C-wQ5LNJuoY/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

And this is the batch I baked this week with eggs and butter:

The relish (slaw?) can be made with storebought pickles (top choice: Grillo’s) but I’ve started making them from scratch. The relish is:

5 pickle chips, diced

40g avocado, cubed small

1/2 tsp pickle brine

1 tsp Sir Kensington’s or Duke’s mayonnaise (or the vegenaise of your choice)

To make your own pickles, let’s start with the pickling spice. You can make a jar and use it over time.

4 tbsp black peppercorns

4 tbsp mustard seeds

4 tbsp coriander seeds

4 tbsp dill seed

4 tbsp allspice berries

2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes (I like Flatiron Pepper Co. 4-pepper blend)

20 dried bay leaves, crumbled

To make the brine:

Add 2 cups ice water to a large pyrex vessel or other non-reactive, heat-safe bowl.

Bring 1 1/4 cups white vinegar to a boil, add 3 tbsp kosher salt and 2 tbsp granulated sugar. Stir until dissolved.

Pour vinegar mixture over the ice water, mix and set aside in the fridge while you chop your cucumbers.

For one of these 1L jars ( https://a.co/d/8yF8QU5 ) I slice 5 kirby cucumbers into 1/4” slices. You can use a mandolin, but I like to do it by hand and have the slices slightly irregular. 

Add your cucumber slices to the empty jar, along with:

1 tbsp pickling spice

2 thinly sliced garlic cloves

half a serrano chile split lengthwise

4 sprigs of fresh dill

Pour in the chilled brine until it covers the cucumbers and refrigerate for 24 hours. Keep them refrigerated after opening. The pickles will get more sour and spicy over time.

Finally (yeesh, thank you for reading War and Peace here), to make the hot tofu patties you’ll combine:

75g super firm tofu, finely diced or grated (don’t squeeze out the moisture)

1 tbsp avocado oil

1/4 tsp paprika

3-4 forceful shakes of Flatiron 4-pepper blend

1 big pinch msg

(Adapted from https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-u3e3FJ0YU/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== )

Mix and form patties on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. I like to make 2 thin patties for maximum crunchy exterior. Use one hand to press down and the other to push in on the edges so you end up with round patties the same size as your bun with firm edges. 

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes (check it at 22, ovens vary) or until crispy to your liking. Be sure not to overcook it into a cracker. It should hold together and have some bend to it.

Toast that bun, layer on the relish (slaw?) and the 2 patties, and goddamn if it doesn’t scratch that fried chicken itch. This is my favorite lunch.

If you got this far, here’s a little extra double-bonus slop for your trough: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4mQuILKuJtutRgZPdBTtGV?si=ca07e92af31d44a2

Bye piggies!

-Producer Adam

https://www.instagram.com/heyadamlevin/