Lentil Tofu Bowls With Smoky Romesco Sauce Food

LENTIL TOFU BOWLS WITH SMOKY ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Wrap tofu in a dishtowel or 4 or 5 layers of paper towels and place on a plate. Cover with a second plate and balance a heavy can or a couple books to weigh down the plate and press down on the tofu. Let drain for about 45 minutes (you can start cooking the lentils while the tofu drains).
• Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes and arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and bake, flipping halfway through, until golden brown, about 40 minutes total.
• according to package instructions.
• while the lentils and tofu are cooking. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add more water if the sauce seems too thick. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Divide the massaged kale, tomatoes, red onion, and tofu between four bowls. Add about 1/2 cup of cooked lentils to each bowl. Top with a generous serving of romesco sauce and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

SMOKY ROMESCO

Steps:

• Set up your favorite smoker and add a handful of hardwood chunks. If you have heat control, set it to whatever position will give you moderate heat: 180 to 200 degrees F. Allow the wood to smoke for approximately 30 minutes before adding food.
• While the smoker is heating, position an oven rack 5-inches below the broiler and set the broiler to high.
• Halve the peppers lengthwise, discard the seeds, place cut side-down on a sheet pan, then broil, rotating the pan halfway through, until the skins are charred, about 10 minutes. (Or you can char them over your gas cooktop burners if you have them. It's a little messy but darned efficient and fun in a medieval kind of way.)
• Transfer the peppers to a large bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes, then slip the charred skins off the peppers with your hands. (Doing this under running water helps.)
• Spread the tomato paste into a thin layer on piece of parchment paper and place on a baking rack along with the peppers and garlic. Smoke for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat a toaster oven to 400 degrees F and toast the almonds until light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Set up a food processor with an S-blade (the normal processing blade) and load in the bread cubes, smoked peppers, garlic and tomato paste, the toasted almonds, sherry vinegar and salt. Pulse until uniform but still chunky, then leave the motor running while you add the oil in a constant stream. (Do this fairly quickly so that the sauce doesn't puree completely.)
• For full flavor, wait a couple of hours to serve at room temp. To store, cover tightly and refrigerate for up 10 days or freeze in ice cube trays for easy dosing.