Firstly, thanks for all your supportive comments on my dietary changes. I’m working with a wonderful naturopath and am optimistic that her suggestions are going to help me and that I’ll be able to loosen up the restrictions before too long.
More so than ever, I’m looking for my meals to be full of goodness, and I’m sure many of you are of the “New Year, New Start” mentality and also seeking out especially nutrient dense foods. It’s turned cold and wintry again here though so warm, nourishing meals are more appealing to me than salads right now.
If you’ve been reading Coconut and Berries a while you’ll know that I’m a fan of exploring international cuisines from all over the world and also keen on languages. French and Spanish are my main languages though I do speak some Italian too. “Agrodolce” is the Italian Sweet and Sour (“Agro”- Sour, “Dolce”- Sweet) but is a much subtler dish than the Chinese version, the gloopy dish which I’ve experienced in rather inauthentic Chinese restaurants anyway. Its sweetness comes from the tomatoes and red onions, enhanced only a little by a touch of sugar, and is complemented wonderfully by the briny olives and slight tang from the vinegar.
Unsurprisingly I suppose it’s traditionally a chicken or lamb dish, but I opted for tofu for a meat-free version. You could try tempeh or chickpeas for a variation too. It’s an easy weeknight dinner which comes together in less than 30 minutes, rounded out with a simple side salad and quinoa or couscous.
Tofu Agrodolce:
1 350g/12oz Block of Firm Tofu, Drained, Pressed and cut into triangles or cubes *
1T Olive Oil (Divided)
1T Tamari
250g/8oz Cherry Tomatoes, halved
2 Medium Red Onions, cut into wedges
2 Cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced
1C Vegetable Broth
1T Dried Oregano
1 1/2t Agave Nectar OR Coconut Sugar (OR other sweetener of your choice)
2t Red Wine Vinegar
2/3C Pitted Green Olives, Drained & Sliced
Handful of Chopped Parsley
Dry-fry the Tofu over medium heat, flipping until both sides are golden brown and crisp. Set aside and toss with 1/2T olive oil and 1T tamari in a large oven-proof dish. Leave to sit until needed.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
Add the remaining 1/2T oil to the pan over medium-high heat. Add the red onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Stir in the oregano, sweetener, vinegar and stock and bring to the boil. Pour over the tofu, along with the halved cherry tomatoes.
Bake for 15-20 minute, basting halfway through cooking time, until the liquid is slightly reduced. Scatter with the olives and parsley. Serve with quinoa or couscous.
Serves 3-4
* Try chickpeas or tempeh instead of the tofu for a variation.
Hope 2014 has got off to a good start for everyone!
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Adrienne @ Whole New Mom says
Looks great! Pinned!
coconutandberries says
Thanks Adrienne I was pretty pleased with how flavourful it turned out.
kayseartsandhealth says
This looks beautiful and delicious!
I wanted to let you know that I nominated you for the Imagine Award. Here is a link to the post on my blog…
http://arthealthandhappiness.wordpress.com/2014/01/03/the-imagine-award/
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes!
coconutandberries says
Thanks so much for your generosity! I’m so pleased you’re enjoying the blog
elsbro says
Looks pretty and colourful and yummy! I really want to try it
coconutandberries says
Yay! Hope you do
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says
This sounds wonderful! Like you, I find Chinese sweet and sour too, well, much (not to mention super artificial) but I like the contrasting flavours. I hadn’t heard of this dish but will definitely give it a try…although I confess to wondering if I could swap out the olives for pineapple, which is probably blasphemy to an Italian 😉
coconutandberries says
I do love Asian food but the Chinese sweet & sour I’ve had I’m sure is anything but traditional. Why not try this with pineapple? I’d probably add the pineapple before baking though so that it softens up and adds some flavour to the mix.
Caeli @ Little Vegan Bear says
Beautiful colours! The flavours sound great too….looks very wholesome.
coconutandberries says
Thanks Caeli. I really enjoyed it- I didn’t use to like olives but now love adding them to dishes.
Amos_n_Velcro says
This looks great, though never thought of using Tofu with Italian Food.
We have lots of modern Asian food here in Australia & the Asian Stir Fries are far from gloomy, stodgy & unhealthy.
coconutandberries says
I do love Asian food too and have most likely just had bad experiences with super sticky, artifical-tasting Chinese sweet & sour- probably entirely inauthentic! I fin tofu is a great base for so many flavours, not just Asian.
Joanne says
I’m slightly ashamed that, even being Italian, I’ve never had agrodolce! Love your big bowl of veggies. Definitely warm and comforting for this cold weather and healthy for the new year!
coconutandberries says
I think it’s Sicilian so maybe that’s an excuse for you! Comforting but healthy was what I was going for 😀
Gabby @ the veggie nook says
Looks delicious! I’ve never heard of this dish before but cannot wait to make it!
coconutandberries says
Great Gabby! Hope you enjoy it when you get to make it
Johanna GGG says
this is not a dish I am familiar with but perhaps it is because it usually has meat - sounds great with tofu - am interested that you dry fry the tofu - I have never tried that - always thing the tofu will stick too much but I guess on a good non stick frypan it could work
coconutandberries says
I find when it’s dry fried it soaks up marinades better and gets crisper. See Isa’s method here: http://www.theppk.com/2013/03/how-to-get-perfectly-browned-tofu/
Lauren (@PoweredbyPB) says
I’ve never heard of this dish before, but it sounds fab!
coconutandberries says
Thanks Lauren. My version’s a little different to the traditional version, unsurprisingly, but it tasted good to me!
Lucie Elizabeth says
Im the only one in my entire household that oesnt dislike olives (actually, i can watt hem by the handful!). This recipe is defiantly on my agenda for the next week!
http://journeysthroughmeadows.blogspot.co.uk
coconutandberries says
I only recently started to enjoy them! Hope you love the recipe
flickingthevs says
I really, really like olives - I’m always looking for new ways to put them in my cooking, so this would definitely fit the bill. A bit of crusty bread and salad with it - heaven!
coconutandberries says
It’s taken me a while but now I’m an olive-lover too! Glad you like the look of the recipe. It’s simple but tasty
sonja@vesenmork says
looks so pretty and colourful! Well, you know my 2014 hasn’t started that well, but luckily there’s plenty more of the year left to make up for that. happy 2014!
coconutandberries says
It’s only just begun! Plenty more of the year for good things 😀
babette says
This looks delish =)
Dearna @tohercore says
My Mum is Italian and we eat a lot of Italian food at home, but I’ve never heard of this dish! It looks and sounds delicious though, I’ll have to cook it for the next family visit
Coconut and Berries says
Lucky you! I bet authentic Italian food is amazing (when it’s meat-free obviously!). I think the original agrodolce is made with chicken but it’s the flavours which are really tasty here so tofu, tempeh or even beans would work well.