Vegetarian Reuben

from Jamey W. Bennett
to Daniel Larkin

Dude,
Did you once tell me that you make a vegetarian reuben?
Jamey 

from Daniel Larkin
to me 

Funny enough, I cut tofu this morning and started marinating it for ruebens tonight. Jenny’s parents are coming over for it!

I use my homemade kraut, so it’s basically the shit.  Plus, the marinade mimics slow smoked, salty beef fairly well.  It’s obviously a different flavor from a standard cornedbeef reuben, but I like the tofu just as much as any cornedbeef rueben I’ve ever had.  

The process is pretty simple.  I cut the tofu into thin slices, maybe about 1/4-inch thick, and marinate it in my special sauce (ewww) for at least 4 hours.  My sauce is **roughly** a mix of 2 parts soy sauce, 1 part worcestershire sauce, and a few slashes of liquid hickory smoke.  Then I dilute that all with water until I’m comfortable that it’s flavorful, but not overly salty.

When it’s done marinating, I cook the tofu in safflower oil on high heat until it’s brown on both sides.  I’ve found that this gives the best texture.  High heat and safflower oil.

Then I just stack it on some grilled pumpernickel bread with a heaping pile of warm sauerkraut, swiss cheese and thousand island dressing (you’ll probably do Russian dressing).

Yum.  I’m glad I was already planning on having these tonight, otherwise I would be scrambling to make it happen after writing this.

from: Jamey W. Bennett
to Daniel Larkin

That sounds great! I’ve been craving a Reuben, and we’re in the countdown to Orthodox Lent, so we just waved a 56 day goodbye to meat on Sunday. On top of that, I have a big bag of kraut in the fridge…I may hit up Whole Foods for some tofu in a bit.

Thanks!

[Update: Turns out we already posted about this in October. We’re idiots! http://twodudesfoods.com/post/11693303786/tofu-rueben] 

Tuna Steaks Nate Larkin Style

Daniel Larkin to jamey

I don’t know if I’ve ever shared my father’s tuna steak recipe with you. If I haven’t, I officially apologize for leaving you in the dark this long. It’s super easy and super healthy. (On the salty side of healthy, really.)

I guess the place to start is the bread. My father buys prepared naan at a grocery store and tosses it on the grill with olive oil and chopped garlic. Jenny and I have been on a big fresh pizza kick lately, and we freeze extra dough, so I’ve been doing my own grilled bread from that. I hit it with some aerosol olive oil and chopped garlic during the grilling. Not everyone has extra dough on hand, or the patience to make it, and in all honesty, the naan is just as good.

The only other “cooking” for the meal is the tuna. Buy a premium tuna steak – as bright and fresh as you can find. Anything frozen should be fairly fresh, since most fishing vessels these days butcher and freeze onsite. Coat both sides of the steak with Montreal Steak Seasoning – I mean coat it with a nice caky layer, since you will lose some during cooking. Pan fry the tuna in safflower oil on high heat to the desired doneness (I prefer medium rare) and let it rest on a glass plate for five minutes before slicing with the grain.

Beyond this, all you’ll need is hummus (any kind you like), tomatoes, avocado, Kalamata olives and fresh basil. Slice the bread into triangles and layer that shit up – hummus on bread, then sliced tomato and avocado, tuna, basil and an olive on top. It’s messy finger food, but it’s incredibly worth it.

I’ve eaten this several times, and the best compliment I’ve found to drink with it is Duvel Triple Hop. Not a cheap beer, but the soft flora hops set off the basil and salty fish like nothing else. Heavenly.