My beef with tofu is twofold. It has little flavor, so I have to make a sauce. And there’s the texture: Silken tofu feels slimy, like an oyster, and uncooked super firm tofu tastes like one of my six-month-old’s board books. But pan-frying a large block of super firm tofu takes time, and these days dinner must come together in minutes. The kiddo goes down at 7, I’m hungry and cranky by 7:15, and the prospect of cleaning up oil spatters does little for my evening mood.

The technique in Gourmet’s recipe for Broiled Tofu with Miso creates a toothsome crust on 20 ounces of tofu, no fuss or mess. Thanks to the sweet-and-salty miso glaze, this dish prompted my Texas-bred husband to utter a revolutionary phrase: “This tofu is delicious.” Like seared mushrooms, the tofu tastes clean, but savory. And you don’t even have to clean the pan: It’s foil-lined!

I doubled the miso marinade, and it lasted through three meals (tuna steak plus two tofu dinners), since I brushed the glaze over the tofu, instead of more generously spooning it on. I cut slightly smaller, two-bite pieces, and scrapped the toothpicks. One night I served the tofu squares over soba noodle salad alongside sweet snap peas. Last Monday I fired off a batch to round out Sunday’s leftover Chinese take-in. The salty little squares lessened my guilt over nourishing my husband from grease-soaked containers. 

Tags: 15 minutes, broiled, gourmet, quick, salty, soba noodle, tofu

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