Tofu Cacciatore hunted by DJ Bahler, Little Gold and the Gay Blades

I'm not much of a gamer. I grew up on Intellivision, played a lot of James Bond my first year of college, can beat most people at Pac-Man and always welcome the chance to destroy my brother at Tecmo Super Bowl. But outside of that I generally forgo video games for music, movies, cooking or running. But things might change now.

I decided to make a batch of Cacciatore this week using tofu instead of chicken. As I was researching how to do this I came across a site that suggested that cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian. I laughed at the idea of a tofu hunter, trying to picture what one might look like. On a whim I did a search for tofu hunter and lo and behold I came across an adult swim game in which you must hunt and kill wild tofu. It is like James Bond for the vegetarian type. I can stand behind that.

I must add that I love the warning at the beginning of the game. It says that the game isn't meant to shock but to "illustrate the pain and suffering that innocent tofu goes through everyday in the name of barbaric veganism." That's some great stuff.

Tofu Cacciatore

(printable version)

-2 blocks firm tofu (drained)

-2 tsp. salt

-1 tsp. pepper

-1/2 cup flour, for dredging

-6 Tbs. olive oil

-1 green bell pepper

-onion powder (would use real onion but mine were gone)

-3 cloves garlic

-3/4 cup vegetable broth

-28 ounces diced tomatoes with juice

-3/4 cup water

-3 Tbs. capers

-1 1/2 tsp. oregano leaves

-fresh basil

1. Slice the tofu into strips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge the slices in the flour, covering lightly.

2. In a large saucepan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the tofu to the pan and saute on each side for five minutes (I had to do the tofu in three batches so I added 2 tablespoons of olive oil each time). Transfer the tofu to a plate and set aside. Add the bell pepper and onion to the saucepan (do not drain or clean out the brown pieces) and cover with onion powder. Cook for five minutes.

3. Add the vegetable broth and simmer for about three minutes. Add the tomatoes, capers, water and oregano to the broth along with the tofu. Coat the tofu in sauce. Bring to a simmer. Continue simmering over low heat for 15 minutes.

Serve over angel hair pasta.

I hate to admit this but the background music in Katy Perry's California Girls gets me every time. As much as I try to not like, I can't help it and I find myself moving to it. Thankfully DJ Bahler mashed the song with Sleigh Bells so I don't feel like complete misogynist trash. His creation, "Cali Gurls Tell 'Em" is much better than the wretched Sleigh Bells/Jay-Z mash-up that made rounds last week.

Cali Gurls Tell 'Em (Sleigh Bells VS Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg) by DJ BAHLER

The Gay Blades and their brand of "whoa whoa" and "da da da" rock have a new album coming our way on the 5th of October. The album (called Savages) will be released on Triple Crown Records. "Try to understand" is their first single.

The Gay Blades-Try to Understand

I'm not sure anything beats being "Completely F***ed inside your motor home." If there is something, I haven't found it yet. Thanks Little Gold!
Little Gold-Completely Fucked