The tofu dish that took me straight back to my childhood

A rich tomato and olive sauce, golden pieces of tofu, and a bowl of rice. This is the recipe that made me realise just how delicious tofu can be.

This recipe was trop, trop, trop bonne 🫒 My husband didn't even realise he was eating tofu!

The sauce was une madeleine de Proust for me: one taste brought back the dish I remembered from childhood. It had that same comforting flavour, and it made me realise that I didn't need the meat to enjoy it. In fact, I liked this version even more the next day, once the tofu had had time to soak up the sauce.

I'm still new to cooking with tofu, and I'm beginning to think I'm very late to the party. It can be genuinely delicious when it's bien cuisiné, cooked and seasoned well.

Tomato and olive tofu

Ingredients

For the tofu and sauce

• 250 g firm tofu
• 80 g black olives with pits
• 100 g pitted green olives
• 400 g chopped tomatoes
• 200 ml vegetable stock (made with ½ stock cube)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp oregano - did not have any left, so I just used Thyme :)
• 1 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 shallot
• 3 bay leaves
• Rice, to serve

For the tofu marinade

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp harissa (very important for the dish) 
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tsp rosemary or thyme
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Press the tofu to remove some of its moisture, then tear it into irregular pieces with your hands. Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl, add the tofu and toss to coat. Leave to marinate for about 30 minutes.
2. Fry the tofu in a pan until well browned. Transfer it to a plate, leaving the browned bits in the pan.
3. Finely chop the onion, shallot and remaining garlic clove. Add them to the same pan and cook for a few minutes. Stir in the turmeric, ginger, oregano and olives, and cook for another few minutes.
4. Pour in the vegetable stock, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the bay leaves and chopped tomatoes. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes.
5. Return the tofu to the pan and stir it through the sauce. Serve over rice or with bread!

A little note: the black olives still have their pits, so watch out for them when eating.

A little more about this dish

People sometimes ask me whether rabbit is served in French school canteens. It was when I was little. It's still possible to find it on a menu, but it seems much less common today, and this kind of dish is often made with chicken instead. For me, it was the tomato and olive sauce that held the memory. This tofu version brought that flavour back beautifully.

I'm not fully vegan yet. I've been vegetarian for years, so leaving meat off the plate is familiar, but learning to cook without eggs and dairy is a newer adventure. As a mum, I also want to feel confident that I'm feeding my sons well as we try more vegan meals. We're taking it one step at a time. This week we made an egg-free, dairy-free cake and some vegan nuggets, and both were delicious.

If you have tofu tips or family-friendly vegan recipes, please share them in the comments. I would love to learn from you.

Voilà voilà, bisous 🥰