IN THE ROTATION: Tofu Steaks with Mushroom Gravy
A simple and light weeknight meal, plus a bonus no-recipe recipe for reverse-seared broccoli
When Steve returned from his meditation retreat, he was in the habit of eating a larger midday meal and a lighter dinner. Coincidentally, I had been doing the same while he was away, because I had begun working on my next book (which is all about cookies, in case you missed the very subtle news I dropped). Since I haven’t had much time to think about, shop for, or make dinner as we’ve always done, we’ve reverted to scrounging most nights—each of us making what we want with what’s in the fridge—and a few times a week I’ve been cooking a simple and light meal like this one.
This dinner was in the rotation for a while, so I decided to revisit it for the purposes of this newsletter. It was so good that it’s officially earned its place back in our regular lineup!
We always have a package or two of tofu in the fridge for emergency protein. I usually buy two or three kinds: medium, firm, and sometimes silken. You can always build a meal around tofu, and this one is one of my favorite ways to do so. Now, you might be thinking, “I'm not crazy about tofu; it has no flavor.” I would agree with that assessment, but I am kind of crazy about the stuff, and for precisely that reason. It’s a blank canvas for other flavors, and a great vehicle for sauces. Once you acquire a taste for it, the blandness is comforting, and the texture—which can vary—is too. To me it feels very clean and digestible. When you want a meatless meal that’s still heavy on protein, tofu always delivers.
This is one of those recipes built on a memory. I used to go to (and sometimes order in from) a Japanese restaurant in the East Village called Takahachi. They no longer have that location, but they’re still around, and this dish is still on the menu as an appetizer. I used to order it often if I wasn’t having sushi (which was very good there). I liked it so much that I eventually started making it at home, often pairing it with broccoli and serving the whole thing over rice.
In my version of the dish, I used some roasted chicken stock concentrate for the sauce (because I’m not a vegetarian, but you do you), which has very little salt. Be careful about using a salty stock here, as that could push the dish into “too salty” territory. You’re better off using water or diluted stock if you’re not sure.
At the last minute, I decided to round out this meal with Rie McClenny’s Cucumber and Fennel Sunomono, which has very much been in the rotation ever since I made it a year ago for this newsletter. It’s so easy and so good!
