Few people in this world can make tofu as exciting as Samin Nosrat. I felt that sharply this week when I spoke to Samin and Tejal Rao, our California restaurant critic and the author of The Veggie newsletter, about vegetarian cooking at a DailyExpertNews Cooking virtual event where tofu was a hot topic. (You can watch it here.)
Samin described one of her favorite cooking methods for tofu, in which medium-firm tofu is topped with liquid aminos (a seasoning that sits alongside soy sauce) and fried in coconut oil, in such evocative, mouthwatering terms that I run down and make it for lunch. .
The next day, I made Kay Chun’s latest tofu recipe, my new favorite, a stir-fry tossed in a rich, ginger-like black pepper sauce and mixed with spring vegetables. That and four other recipes for the week are below. As always, tell me what you think at dearemily.. I like to hear from you.
1. Stir-fried tofu and asparagus with black pepper
This Kay Chun stir-fry pairs pleasantly squishy tofu with the grassy snap of asparagus and snow peas. The best, however, is the peppercorn sauce with garlic and ginger, which could make a piece of cardboard tasty.
4. Penne With Brussels Sprouts, Chili And Pancetta
For this five-star Melissa Clark pasta recipe, you can buy pre-sliced brussel sprouts, which I instantly fell in love with. But the best part is the way Melissa unabashedly combines bold flavors as pancetta, garlic, chiles and rosemary all work their way into the pan. Omit the pancetta and it will be a great vegetarian dinner.
Check out this recipe.
