MOCKstail Stew (EPC – Electric Pressure Cooker)

It’s really cold here in home town Chicago.

Yes…it’s pancake ice on Lake Michigan!  Thanks Daily Mail UK for this picture!

Really really cold.

In fact, it’s so cold that they’re cancelling school tomorrow. 

It’s supposed to get down to -26°F … without wind chill.  And there’s always wind chill in Chicago.

That’s cold.

Here, in home town Chicago we need warmth.  Crackling fireplace fires.  Layers of clothing.  Hot stew. 

Lots of hot stew.  

MOCKstail Stew

A few weeks back I was in our local kosher grocery store, Hungarian Kosher, and found oxtails.  I’ve never made oxtail, and they intrigued me.  Cell phones are awesome for doing quick searches for recipes involving unique ingredients.  Quite a few recipes for Oxtail Stew came up.  Enough that I purchased a few packages.  In my defense they weren’t expensive.  Maybe it was because not many people buy oxtails.  But I digress…

I ended up making oxtail stew in my electric pressure cooker.  It was the perfect cooking medium for making the stew.  The meat was soft, buttery and delicious.  I (of course) changed the recipe and used chickpeas instead of butter beans.  They were a perfect substitution.

While the oxtails were delicious, they didn’t seem particularly healthy.  I loved the stew flavors though.  I decided to prepare the stew substituting tofu for the oxtail.  I kept most of the recipe the same.  It was SO delicious I wanted to eat the whole pot.  It was that good!

Guess what I’m making tonight.  Hot MOCKstail Stew to warm us up from the cold Chicago weather.

MOCKstail Stew EPC

• Author: Sharon Matten Kosher Everyday
• Prep Time: 5
• Cook Time: 30
• Total Time: 35 minutes

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Description

Filled with hearty ingredients like chickpeas, fresh tomatoes, firm tofu and fragrant spices, this mock oxtail stew is perfect for a cold winter night. Using an electric pressure cooker melds all the flavors and makes the cooking of this stew super fast.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 16 ounces extra-firm tofu, cubed and patted dry with paper towels
• 2 teaspoons molasses
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons canola or avocado oil
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

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Instructions

1. Set the EPC (Electric Pressure Cooker) to sauté/brown mode.
2. In a medium bowl coat the tofu with the molasses, salt ,onion powder, garlic powder, freshly ground black pepper and paprika.
3. Add the oil to the EPC pot. Sauté the coated tofu in the hot oil until browned.
4. Add the chopped onion and crushed garlic to the browned tofu. Sauté until the onions are clear.
5. Change the mode on the EPC to manual high pressure.
6. Place the vegetable stock, chickpeas, tomato paste, green onions, bay leaf, dried thyme leaves, and crushed red pepper to the EPC pot.
7. Lock the lid of the EPC and close the pressure valve.
8. Cook for 30 minutes. Manually release the pressure.
9. Serve hot.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4

Here is the cubed tofu. You can use more tofu than 20-ounces if you like it more tofuey.

Here’s what the stew looks like before it’s cooked…

Self explanatory…

Check out the chickpeas, tomatoes and chunks of tofu!  The Mockstail Stew is done!

Now…does someone want to send me a hot water bottle?

Don’t worry, we Chicagoan’s are made of tough stuff.