Yogurt Marinated Tofu

Have half a carton of plain yoghurt sitting around approaching the expiration date? Yeah, me too. What's worse, it wasn't very good yoghurt. That's OK, it made a terrific marinade for tofu.

I put this together early this morning and cooked it tonight. I would give the tofu a minimum of four hours soaking.

There are a million variations of this recipe. The one at 101 Cookbooks is also very good, though it uses lemon juice which I prefer to skip. If you hate thyme (you're probably a weirdo, but that's OK I like weirdos) feel free to skip it, or try some other herb. Like most of what I cook, this is more of an idea than a recipe. You're still probably a weirdo if you hate thyme. How can anyone dislike thyme? It is the perfect herb. Weirdos.

I served the tofu with cous cous, carrots and shallots cooked with raisins and apricots, and a salad with blood orange vinegarette.

You Will Need:

I package extra firm tofu (NOT silken)
2 cups plain yoghurt, drained through a cheesecloth lined sieve for at least an hour.
3 tablespoons olive oil
Dash salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons ground cumin (you can use less if you prefer)
A generous grind of black pepper

Mix it together and pour some in a small casserole dish. Prepare the tofu by slicing it in four pieces and then pressing as much liquid out as possible with towels. Layer the tofu on the yoghurt mixture and then cover with remaining mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and chill several hours.

Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy pan (I used cast iron, but if you have a grill pan that would be great). Scrape off excess marinade and place the slices in the hot pan. Cook over medium heat until browned, then turn and cook on other side.