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Tempeh Fugit
Dec. 30th, 2021 01:35 amFirst, in reference to my previous post, the pies tasted fantastic and the crust was quite good, if lumpy and patched. I have at least learned to use a very very light hand when repairing the deficiencies of my crusts.
And now, the sequel to the Great Pie-Licking Episode.
Yesterday evening, I made tempeh mushroom stroganoff for Cameron and me. I do feed David too, especially when Lydy is away, if I'm making something he'd like. But he wouldn't like this, and he still had leftover turkey yesterday.
I hadn't been able to find commercial vegan sour cream, so fairly early in the process I made some in the miniature food processor. Then I got an 8-oz block of tempeh out of the freezer and thawed it in the microwave. Sometime during 2020 somebody started up a local business that makes tempeh, calling the product Tempeh Tantrum, which alone would have recommended it to me. In fact it is quite good, very plain tempeh: no grains or seasonings, just soybeans, water, and the tempeh culture.
After thawing the tempeh, I cut the block into quarters so that it would fit in the saucepan, and steamed it for 20 minutes. I put the four pieces on a plate to cool. At this point I actually looked at the recipe, which I had not made for some time, and saw that it didn't take long at all, and dinner would be ready much too early if I went on. I washed and cut up a pound of broccoli to roast and put the tofu sour cream in the fridge. The tempeh was still fairly hot, and in any case I have an only partly conscious attitude of "But it's spoiled already" about tempeh. So I left the plate on the stove.
The cats were schooling around reminding me that they were starving, and it was in fact time for wet food, so I gave it to them and sat in the room while they ate it: this is necessary because Cassie will steal Saffron's food from under her nose, and Saffron, for reasons known only to her otherwise very stroppy self, will let Cassie do it. Cassie did not do it this time. We have a routine, wherein she finishes her own food and walks towards Saffron, who is eating at her own leisurely pace on an armchair, to keep Cassie a little more at, well, paw's reach. I always say, "I see you, Cass. I see the Cass." Then she sits down and washes her whiskers, keeping a very close eye on Saffron.
So Saffron got all her food and washed her own whiskers. Cass came over and sat on the couch with me. Saffron ambled into the kitchen. After a few minutes of dead silence, Cassie bolted off the sofa and ran as fast as her short little legs would go into the kitchen, and thence out the other door. Something extremely interesting had just happened with food.
I ran into the kitchen. The pan of broccoli looked untouched. On the tempeh plate, there were three pieces remaining.
Exclaiming loudly, I bolted into my bedroom after Cass, who had just disappeared under the bed. I flung myself on my stomach onto the floor and peered under, after a moment employing the flashlight function of my cellphone. Saffron and Cassie were gnawing bites off the fourth piece of steamed tempeh. Tempeh crumbs were scattered all over the floor between them. I reached my arm under to grab the piece of tempeh, and Saffron snatched it up in her mouth, moved a few feet away, and dropped it again. I leapt up, got the broom, and dragged the gnawed tempeh out from under the bed. Saffron and Cassie erupted after me, but I already had the tempeh in my hand. They followed me into the kitchen, also exclaiming loudly.
I fished the tempeh wrapper out of the trash and ascertained that it was, indeed, very plain tempeh. And it was cooked. They would probably be fine, but I had no idea why the tempeh had elicited behavior that would have been completely understandable if it were cheese or fish. I would never leave either of those desirable foodstuffs alone in the kitchen, but tempeh and tofu have never been bothered before.
I walked into Cameron's office with the gnawed piece of tempeh in my hand. They had eaten less than a quarter of it, less even than that if you counted all the crumbs. "My goodness!" Cameron said. "Is tempeh bad for cats?"
"I have no idea."
Cam was looking it up as I took the tempeh back to the kitchen and put it into the organics recycling. I contemplated the remaining tempeh. I now had the wrong amount for the recipe. Also, Saffron had had plenty of time before jumping down with her chosen piece to do any kind of investigation she liked of the other ones. I sighed and put them in the recycling as well. At least the tempeh had been on sale and we'd only lost about three dollars.
Cameron came into the kitchen and said, "Just tell me, was there any garlic or onion in the tempeh?"
"Nope, just plain tempeh. And already steamed."
We agreed that the cats would probably be fine but we would keep an eye on them.
I got the next block of tempeh out of the freezer and put it in the microwave to thaw. Dinner was about twenty minutes late. I remarked at intervals to Cameron, "Well, nobody has barfed yet."
Nobody ever did, nor exhibited any other signs of digestive distress.
Eventually I swept the tempeh crumbs out from under the bed. Apparently they were not actually very tasty once the excitement of the chase was over.
The stroganoff was very tasty, and Saffron bore me no ill will for stealing her prey. I can only be grateful that I put the vegan sour cream in the refrigerator. It's clear that nothing is safe from Saffron any more.
Pamela
And now, the sequel to the Great Pie-Licking Episode.
Yesterday evening, I made tempeh mushroom stroganoff for Cameron and me. I do feed David too, especially when Lydy is away, if I'm making something he'd like. But he wouldn't like this, and he still had leftover turkey yesterday.
I hadn't been able to find commercial vegan sour cream, so fairly early in the process I made some in the miniature food processor. Then I got an 8-oz block of tempeh out of the freezer and thawed it in the microwave. Sometime during 2020 somebody started up a local business that makes tempeh, calling the product Tempeh Tantrum, which alone would have recommended it to me. In fact it is quite good, very plain tempeh: no grains or seasonings, just soybeans, water, and the tempeh culture.
After thawing the tempeh, I cut the block into quarters so that it would fit in the saucepan, and steamed it for 20 minutes. I put the four pieces on a plate to cool. At this point I actually looked at the recipe, which I had not made for some time, and saw that it didn't take long at all, and dinner would be ready much too early if I went on. I washed and cut up a pound of broccoli to roast and put the tofu sour cream in the fridge. The tempeh was still fairly hot, and in any case I have an only partly conscious attitude of "But it's spoiled already" about tempeh. So I left the plate on the stove.
The cats were schooling around reminding me that they were starving, and it was in fact time for wet food, so I gave it to them and sat in the room while they ate it: this is necessary because Cassie will steal Saffron's food from under her nose, and Saffron, for reasons known only to her otherwise very stroppy self, will let Cassie do it. Cassie did not do it this time. We have a routine, wherein she finishes her own food and walks towards Saffron, who is eating at her own leisurely pace on an armchair, to keep Cassie a little more at, well, paw's reach. I always say, "I see you, Cass. I see the Cass." Then she sits down and washes her whiskers, keeping a very close eye on Saffron.
So Saffron got all her food and washed her own whiskers. Cass came over and sat on the couch with me. Saffron ambled into the kitchen. After a few minutes of dead silence, Cassie bolted off the sofa and ran as fast as her short little legs would go into the kitchen, and thence out the other door. Something extremely interesting had just happened with food.
I ran into the kitchen. The pan of broccoli looked untouched. On the tempeh plate, there were three pieces remaining.
Exclaiming loudly, I bolted into my bedroom after Cass, who had just disappeared under the bed. I flung myself on my stomach onto the floor and peered under, after a moment employing the flashlight function of my cellphone. Saffron and Cassie were gnawing bites off the fourth piece of steamed tempeh. Tempeh crumbs were scattered all over the floor between them. I reached my arm under to grab the piece of tempeh, and Saffron snatched it up in her mouth, moved a few feet away, and dropped it again. I leapt up, got the broom, and dragged the gnawed tempeh out from under the bed. Saffron and Cassie erupted after me, but I already had the tempeh in my hand. They followed me into the kitchen, also exclaiming loudly.
I fished the tempeh wrapper out of the trash and ascertained that it was, indeed, very plain tempeh. And it was cooked. They would probably be fine, but I had no idea why the tempeh had elicited behavior that would have been completely understandable if it were cheese or fish. I would never leave either of those desirable foodstuffs alone in the kitchen, but tempeh and tofu have never been bothered before.
I walked into Cameron's office with the gnawed piece of tempeh in my hand. They had eaten less than a quarter of it, less even than that if you counted all the crumbs. "My goodness!" Cameron said. "Is tempeh bad for cats?"
"I have no idea."
Cam was looking it up as I took the tempeh back to the kitchen and put it into the organics recycling. I contemplated the remaining tempeh. I now had the wrong amount for the recipe. Also, Saffron had had plenty of time before jumping down with her chosen piece to do any kind of investigation she liked of the other ones. I sighed and put them in the recycling as well. At least the tempeh had been on sale and we'd only lost about three dollars.
Cameron came into the kitchen and said, "Just tell me, was there any garlic or onion in the tempeh?"
"Nope, just plain tempeh. And already steamed."
We agreed that the cats would probably be fine but we would keep an eye on them.
I got the next block of tempeh out of the freezer and put it in the microwave to thaw. Dinner was about twenty minutes late. I remarked at intervals to Cameron, "Well, nobody has barfed yet."
Nobody ever did, nor exhibited any other signs of digestive distress.
Eventually I swept the tempeh crumbs out from under the bed. Apparently they were not actually very tasty once the excitement of the chase was over.
The stroganoff was very tasty, and Saffron bore me no ill will for stealing her prey. I can only be grateful that I put the vegan sour cream in the refrigerator. It's clear that nothing is safe from Saffron any more.
Pamela
