I made this the other night in my continued quest to find something vegetarian for my son to eat.   As I’ve mentioned before, he can’t stand the thought of hurting an animal, so consequently won’t eat any meat.  His primary protein sources are currently yogurt and nuts.   I also hide tofu in smoothies for him.  All in all, not very interesting.   I want him to find a savory protein source (other than nuts) that he enjoys.   I was hoping that this tofu dish would do the trick.   Unfortunately, no such luck.   He didn’t like it at all.   I, on the other hand, loved it, as did my husband and his Aunt Sylvia.   The tofu itself doesn’t have any flavor, but I thought the barbecue sauce was really good.

Grilled Tofu with Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Recipe inspired by Martha Rose Shulman from the NY Times

1 pound extra-firm tofu
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
Salt to taste
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons water (more to taste)

The first step is to press the moisture out of your tofu.  To do this, take two paper towels and fold them in quarters.   Place them on a plate or cutting board.   Place the tofu on the paper towels, and place two similarly folded paper towels on top of the tofu.    Put something flat (a plate or small cutting board) on top of the tofu and put something heavy on the plate to squeeze the moisture out of the tofu.   After a few minutes, you can replace the paper towels if they’re really damp.   Let the tofu sit pressed between the paper towels for at least 15 minutes.

While the tofu is being pressed, mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a bowl.  Set aside.

Slice the tofu into 1/4″ slices.

Prepare the barbecue by oiling the grate so the tofu doesn’t stick.   Preheat the grill to medium.   Once the grill is hot, place the tofu on the grill.  Grill each side for about 5 minutes or until visible grill marks are seen on the tofu.   If you like, you can brush the tofu with the barbecue sauce as it’s cooking, or you can serve the sauce on the side once the tofu is cooked.

Yield: ~ 8 slices of tofu

One year ago: Grilled Asian Pork Tenderloin with Peanut Sauce
Two years ago: Carole’s Whipped Cream Pie
Three years ago: Cold Noodles with Sesame Sauce
Four years ago: Zucchini Frittata