Jan 112011
Bitter Orange Tips
1) Orange Zest: Zest the orange and let it dry for three days. Crumble and store in an airtight container.
Orange Zest
2) Frozen pulp in cubes (not pictured). I cut off the peel and seeded it then ground up the juice and pulp (so the fiber is still in tact) and froze it in ice cube trays to use for cooking in the future.
3) Bitter Orange Marinade (Marinado de Naranja Agria) with Agave and Orange Zest. Recipe Below to follow.
Bitter Orange Marinade
…with agave and orange zest
Now what did I do with the marinade? Something fairly unconventional since I didn’t have any poultry or pork on hand. I marinated tofu!
How to prepare tofu into cubes and marinate.
1. First I pressed the water out of extra firm organic tofu for 24 hours, emptying the water out periodically.
(I used my tofu press but you can put the tofu between two dishes and weight the top dish with a book. Be sure the bottom dish has a lip to hold a fair amount of water).
2. Second I cut the tofu lengthwise like this…
3. Lay the tofu flat and cut again lengthwise into strips.
3. Next make perpendicular cuts to form cubes.
4. Pour the marinade evenly over the cubes.
5. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.
I couldn’t wait to taste the marinade on the tofu since it’s such a flavorful marinade and tofu tends to take on the flavor of whatever you marinate it in. I loved how tangy it was and how roasting it makes the outside crispy and leaves the inside soft, but felt like it still needed something. When I added some additional coarse ground sea salt, fresh ground pepper and lots of garlic powder it was perfect! In fact, I’ve been eating it cold over salads.
As a tip if you want something a little sweeter add a bit more of the agave or honey.
Roasted Fu!
Bitter Orange Marinade with Agave and Orange Zest
Perfect for Chicken, Pork, Fish or Tofu!
Ingredients
1 block extra firm organic tofu
Marinade:
3 bitter oranges, juiced
3 large garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
Sea salt, to taste
1 Tbsp agave nectar (or honey)
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp dried oregano (or 1/4 bunch fresh)
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste
Directions
1. Press tofu for 24 hours to remove water then cut into cubes (using above method).
2. Blend marinade ingredients in blender or magic bullet.
3. Pour marinade over tofu and marinate up to 24 hours (I find the longer you marinate tofu the better).
4. Bake marinated tofu cubes at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, stir and bake an additional 15 minutes. Season with additional salt, pepper and some garlic powder, to taste.
Oh this is calling my name!!! Love it.
This is very original. I love it! What an interesting idea to marinate tofu.
Oh WOW Dawn! You could seriously teach me a thing or two about cooking. Printing….
yum! I haven't made marinated tofu in quite a while. Great idea.
What a great idea. Sounds absolutely delicious!
This looks so yummy!! I've been on a total tofu kick these days too! I go through these phases sometimes and then I don't eat it for months. I will have to try this one
The tofu looks delicious! I have only had tofu in restaurants and have never even thought to make it myself, but it looks yummy! Thanks for sharing.
The marinade sounds delicious!
this sounds just yummy! i've never had tofu this way before..sounds so flavorful and delicious. thank you for sharing this.
Wow, wow, wow! This looks absolutely delicious! I LOVE marinaded tofu and this marinade sounds so delish!
So this is how you cook tofu! I have been struggling with that product for quite some time, and the way you prepared yours looks AMAZING. What a great way to use up some of those oranges. Marinades make such a difference! Thank you for sharing with me. Stay warm and safe during the rest of the week!
This sounds amazing! I love that you have orange trees in your backyard. The photos were beautiful!
This sounds delicious! I love the variety of things you can use it on!
I wonder where I could find bitter orange around here…
You should totally mix that zest with some sugar so that then you'll have orange sugar! YUM.
Mmm that tofu looks so good. Love the stuff!
Fancy tofu press! I usually use a towel, bowl and heavy book
Dawn, you're brilliant. That marinade looks fantastic, and I never would have thought to freeze the pulp, either. I really don't know if I've ever wanted to eat tofu so badly …
Thanks for visiting and the comments!
Joanne that is a great idea to make the orange sugar. If you can't find bitter oranges just use regular and it will be a bit sweeter but still really tasty.
Michelle, I used to use that method too. Works just as well.
Rich, why thank you. Wow I'm glad I'm inspiring you to eat tofu.