Tofu Mofo

I think it’s a good thing for any cook to be able to cook vegan if they need to -- whether or not they are themselves vegan -- because, well -- who knows who you’re going to want to cook for someday?  And your skills will be a lot sharper if you practice in advance. 

 

This here is chicken-fried tofu (no actual chickens were harmed -- “chicken-fried” just means ‘fried as if it were chicken”).  In this case, that means that tofu cutlets were dipped in tahini sauce—heavy on the garlic and lemon—then in panko bread crumbs, and pan-fried in peanut oil.  Topped with more tahini sauce and pickled ginger.  Piquant!

Minimal Happiness

The basics of what it takes to make me smile: smoked salmon, topped with spinach (sautéed with garlic), topped with an egg (fried just until the white is set), topped with smoked-tomato aïoli.  If I’d remembered to throw a few capers on top, life would be complete. No English muffin needed, but a bit of baguette to mop up the goo at the end would be nice, too.