Last May, I spent a weekend down in San Francisco.  I really love that city.  I have been to SF more than any other city, somehow making it there at least once a year for as long as I can remember.  On that particular trip, I made a trek to Omnivore Books – a charming cookbook shop.  In my mind I was picturing Books for Cooks, a truly incredible cookbook shop in the Notting Hill neighborhood of London, where I spent many an hour gazing and drooling.  Omnivore is decidedly less grand but still filled with incredible treasures.  I had been reading about the new Ottolenghi book Plenty and was thrilled to see it at Omnivore.  It had not yet been released in the States so consequently, I paid $60 for it.

Now I see the book everywhere in its American (and $35) version.  I don’t regret buying mine for a second.  I had it for months longer than most people stateside and I also love all the British-isms in my book.  Aubergine, coriander, courgette, rocket, swede, mangetout – all words I had to get used to when we lived in London.  (Side story.  I went to the grocery store one day in search of a swede having no idea what it was.  When the produce guy pointed it out to me, I laughed.  “What a funny name for that vegetable”, I said.  He asked what we call it.  Rutabaga was my reply.  “And that is not a weird name?”  Good point.)

In addition to having charming names for vegetables, my copy has all the metric measurements.  There was a time when I could rapidly double a temperature and add 32 to get Fahrenheit out of Celsius but sadly, these days I just use my Kitchen Pro app most of the time.  But checking a phone repeatedly while cooking is not very efficient and so I wing it much more with this book than I would if the measurements were more “American” (read: antiquated and ridiculous).

It feels almost sacrilegious to tinker with Ottolenghi’s recipes.  Both of his books have imaginative, well-spiced, interesting, and delicious food.  I tend to do things more by feel and taste with his books and I have a sneaking suspicion that he would approve.

This is one of those “if you think you don’t like brussels spouts then try this!” recipes.  I kind of like those smurf cabbages (my brother’s term).  I loved them here.  Be sure to let them get nice and brown.

One Year Ago: White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
Two Years Ago: Garlic Ciabatta Bread and Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad

Brussels Sprouts and Tofu
Adapted from Plenty
Serves 3-4

I served this with brown rice and plenty of hot chili sauce.  I used a large cast iron skillet to make the whole dish and was able to cook the sprouts and the tofu in one batch.  If you have a smaller pan, I would do each of them in two batches.  You want to make sure tofu and the vegetables have plenty of contact with the pan and don’t end up steaming.

2 tbsp. sweet chili sauce
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. rice vinegar
1 tbsp. maple syrup
12 ounces extra firm tofu
1 pound brussels sprouts
Kosher salt
Canola oil
3 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
1 red chili, seeded and finely diced
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

First marinate the tofu.  Whisk together in a shallow dish the chili and soy sauces, the sesame oil, vinegar, and the maple syrup (I used a Pyrex pie plate).  Cut the block of tofu into ½-inch thick slices and then each slice into 6 squares.  Add the tofu to the marinade and gently toss.  Allow to marinate, turning the pieces occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Trim the bases off the sprouts and cut each from top to bottom into three thick slices.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add just enough canola oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add the sprouts along with a large pinch of salt and cook for about 3 minutes without stirring.  You want them to brown a bit.  Then stir them occasionally until they reach your desired degree of doneness (I like mine soft and not crunchy).  Remove to a bowl.

Add just a bit more oil and toss in the scallions, chili, and mushrooms.  Again, allow to cook and brown, about 6 minutes in all, and add to the bowl with the sprouts.

Carefully add the tofu to the pan and allow to cook for 3 minutes without stirring.  Using tongs, turn each piece of tofu over and allow the other side to brown, about another 2-3 minutes.  Add the contents of the sprout bowl, along with the remaining tofu marinade and the cilantro.  Toss everything together gently and turn off the heat.  Taste, and add salt as needed.

I can tell you a sure-fire way to have your spouse/partner/significant other/friend tell you that your food is absolutely delicious.

Have them do a cleanse.

Randy has been talking about doing a cleanse for about 6 months now.  I have been wary.  He tends to be a bit hypoglycemic, meaning if he does not eat when he is hungry, he is not all that pleasant to be around.  I have been in more than one restaurant frantically waving down someone to bring bread as he turns pale.  So, the idea of him basically eating just fruit or vegetables all day was a little frightening.

Every cleanse is different and the one he is doing allows him to eat a “sensible” meal at night.  This basically means vegan and gluten free which is not a stretch for me at all.  It took me about five minutes to come up with several dinners for the week.  I have made some tasty meals the past few nights but you would think I was a Michelin three star chef based on Randy’s reactions to the food.  So there is a good tip for you, starve your partner all day and they will think you are the best cook around!

Here is a dish that totally pushed me out of my tofu-with-Asian-food rut.  I know people have strong feelings about our little bean curd friend, but I have always liked tofu and welcome the opportunity to use it more.  When people ask me about tofu, I always give them two suggestions – make sure you buy extra firm and don’t expect it to taste like steak.  It might sound obvious but I do think that people are looking for a meat replacement and tofu is not that.  Tofu is tofu, a relatively tasteless brick of protein.  Using extra firm helps with that texture issue (it is not mushy) and making a dish like this one allows something tasteless on its own to become super tasty.

So rather than the flavors of coconut milk, soy sauce, and sesame oil, this tofu soaks up the flavors of white wine, olives, and red wine vinegar.  I took this idea from Deborah Madison and made some changes.  I streamlined some of the baking, lightened up the sauce and added a bed of quinoa for the vegetables and tofu to sleep on.  If you look at this and think, “Tofu?  Quinoa?  Why not just put me out in a field and let me graze?” I beg you to give it another thought.  I thought this made for a very tasty dinner and Randy thought it was the single most delicious thing he had ever put in his mouth.  Thank you cleanse!

One Year Ago:  Black Bean Chilaquile
Two Years Ago:  Milk Chocolate Frosted Layer Cake

Baked Tofu with Peppers and Olives
Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
Serves 4

The Tofu and Vegetables
1 pound extra firm tofu, cut into thin triangles or slabs
Olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried basil
½ tsp. dried marjoram
¼ cup chopped parsley
3 bell peppers – red, yellow, and green – thinly sliced
8 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup dry white wine
20 Niçoise olives, pitted and halved

The Sauce
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. warm water

¾ cup quinoa
1¼ water

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.  Rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve (if you buy Bob’s Red Mill brand, you don’t need to do this).  Add the rinsed quinoa and water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down to low, cover, and allow to cook for 20 minutes.  Fluff with fork, then replace cover and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom, then add the onions along with a large pinch of salt and sauté enough to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add the herbs, peppers, tofu, mushrooms, and garlic and cook until the onions are very soft and the tofu starts to sear a bit on the outside, stirring occasionally, about 14 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the wine and olives and simmer until the vegetables are coated with a syrupy sauce, about 8 minutes.

Spread the quinoa in an 8×11-inch baking dish.  Spread the vegetable and tofu mixture over top.  Whisk together the ingredients for the sauce and pour the sauce over top.  Bake, covered, until heated through, about 25 minutes.  Serve with Sriracha if you like things spicy.