Ingredients

2 x 250g packs firm tofu, cut into 16 cubes each

4 thinnish sweet potatoes (about 750g in total), peeled and cut into 1cm-thick rounds

2 tbsp olive oil

Dash of Tabasco

Salt and freshly ground pepper

200g green beans, topped and tailed

120g Mediterranean-ripened, dried tomatoes

2-3 tbsp pesto, either bought or homemade

Basil pesto

150ml olive oil

2 plump garlic cloves, very finely chopped

60g pine nuts

60g fresh basil

60g Parmesan, freshly grated

Marinade

3 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp Tabasco

2 tbsp red wine

1 tbsp maple syrup or a fat pinch of brown sugar

2½ tbsp tamari

2cm-piece of ginger, grated

1 garlic clove, very finely chopped

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6.
  2. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Put the tofu in a dish large enough for it to form one layer and cover with the marinade. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Toss the sweet potato slices in the olive oil, Tabasco and a little salt and pepper and lay in one layer on a baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes, turning once, or until tender and well browned all over. Blanch the green beans in salted boiling water for about 8 minutes till tender and refresh quickly under cold water. Set aside.
  4. If you’re making your own pesto, do this now: process the garlic and pine nuts together in a food processor, then add the basil and Parmesan and blitz again, while you slowly pour in the olive oil. Season with salt.
  5. Transfer the tofu and its marinade to a large saucepan. Simmer on a medium heat until the marinade is completely reduced and the tofu is left frying in a sticky, dark sauce. Keep going for 7-8 minutes so that the tofu is very well browned. You can gently ease it off the bottom of the pan with a metal fish slice and turn it over so that it browns and crisps on all sides. Don’t worry if it breaks up a bit.
  6. Place the roasted sweet potatoes, green beans, roasted tofu and dried tomatoes in a bowl and gently mix with the pesto. Serve at once with a salad of rocket, chicory, red onion and Parmesan, dressed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.