Sauce + Bananas: Caramelized!

No, not sauce and bananas together! I just happened to have made two dishes with caramelized somethin' in them!



I wanted to make tofu cutlets tonight with some kind of sauce. I first thought of marsala but I didn't have any marsala wine. What I did have was red wine so I experimented and came up with this rich, flavorful sauce with loads of caramelized onions. If you're onion phobic like my husband (he didn't really like the amount of onions in it), you can cut the amount of onions you use in half. I smothered pan fried tofu cutlets with the sauce and had them that way. To be honest, I would have rather enjoyed the sauce with something meatier like a veggie burger patty or veggie meatloaf. The tofu was just too bland for me. But maybe you can make it work better than I did!

Red Wine Miso Sauce with Caramelized Onions

2 TB olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced (you may use 1/2 or less if you desire)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup red wine
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp tomato paste
2 tsp cornstarch
1 TB mellow white miso paste
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a saucepan on medium high heat. Saute the onions and garlic until onions are soft, browned and caramelized. Add the red wine and let it simmer and reduce for about a minute or so. In the meantime, combine the broth, tomato paste and cornstarch and whisk together. Pour this mixture little by litte into the red wine/onion mixture and stir to combine. Keep simmering for another 4 minutes or so until it gets thick and shiny. Stir in the miso paste, italian herbs, sugar and season with salt and pepper to taste.


On tofu with mash and peas.

Earlier today I got these from my banana tree in my backyard:



So I made this:



Caramelized Bananas with Cinnamon

3 mini bananas, sliced (go ahead and use a couple normal bananas or even very ripe plantains.)
1-2 TB canola oil
2 tsp sugar
couple pinches of cinnamon

Heat oil in a small saucepan on med-high heat. Add the sliced bananas in a layer and let cook for a few minutes. Sprinkle 1 tsp of the sugar on top and then flip them over either with a spatula or a "flick of the wrist". Sprinkle the remaining sugar and cinnamon and continue to cook and flip around until all the bananas are browned and caramelized. These would be delicious served on top of vanilla soy ice cream or on top of pancakes.