Ancho-honey glazed tofu steak with black bean sauce and tomatillo salsa

Ever since we got back from Vegas, I’ve had a dish I ate at Mesa Grill on my mind. I’ve been dying to try cooking it so this weekend seemed like as good a time as any! Especially since it was the perfect excuse to clean up the grill and put it to use for the first time this season.

This version is hardly complete, I’m missing two of the sauces (roasted red pepper and jalepeño crema), but the flavors were still really good. If you don’t want to fire up the grill, you could use a grill pan or broil the tofu.

I’m definitely making this one again – it’s got a lot going on, but it’s totally worth it!

Cilantro oil

Finished dish

Recipe modified from Food & Wine

Ingredients

Ancho honey glaze:

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Cilantro oil

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 cup packed cilantro
• ¼ cup water
• Juice of 1 lime

Black bean sauce (the original recipe calls for raw beans which need to be soaked. I didn’t have time for that so I used a can.)

• 1 can black beans (rinsed)
• 1 large chipotle chile in adobo, stemmed and coarsely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup water

Tomatillo salsa

• 2 small tomatillos
• 1 jalapeño
• Juice of one lime
• Cilantro as much or as little as you prefer
• 1/3 cup chopped red onion

1 14 oz package extra firm tofu
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
Directions:

1. Preheat the grill. (Or you can use a grill pan.)
2. Combine ingredients for the bean sauce in a food processor and blend until smooth and well combined.
3. Transfer bean mixture to a saucepan, add salt and pepper and heat on a low flame, about 8-10 minutes or until warm. Be careful to not let it burn!
4. In a small bowl, whisk the honey with the ancho chile powder and mustard and season with salt and pepper.
5. Slice the tofu into two equal pieces and set over paper towels to drain the water. Coat the tofu steaks with the vegetable oil and season each side with salt and pepper. Place on the hot grill and cook on each side for about 2 minutes. After each side has been cooked, brush the glaze on the steaks and cook an additional 2-3 minutes each side.
6. To make the salsa, chop all of the ingredients, mix in a bowl and coat with the lime juice. This can be done ahead of time and can be stored in the fridge.
7. To make the cilantro oil, combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix until well combined. Strain mixture through a sieve, discarding any cilantro leaves that are left behind.
8. Plate the dish by spreading the black bean sauce on the plate, then the tofu steak. Top with the tomatillo salsa and drizzle the cilantro oil around everything.