Plenty

I set myself a goal a few months ago to cook every recipe in Yotem Ottolenghi's book Plenty. But then I got a little sidetracked by the summer (too hot to cook) and laziness (too many ingredients to buy). So the first night I had dinner with friends planned this fall, I busted out that cookbook and made two very different,  yet equally awesome recipes. Actually, that's a lie. The tofu dish was more awesome, with a marinade I now want to put on everything.

 (you can't see the frantic mess I created in the rest of the kitchen...)

Note: I was pleasantly surprised that I started cooking at 7 pm and we were eating at a not unreasonable hour. What hour exactly, I don't remember.

Another note: my copy of Plenty is the British version, and I only converted some of the measurements. For instance, I don't know what a centimeter looks like, but I just kind of cut the peppers however I please. Winging it!

Okra with tomato, lemon and coriander
Adapted from Plenty

4 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 red peppers, cut into 1cm wide stips
1 mild fresh red chili, deseeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp sweet paprika
2 tsp cugar
400 grams okra
3 tbsp finely chopped preserved lemon
30 pitted black olives, cut in half
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp shredded mint
salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat up 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large sauce pan. Add the coriander seeds and onion and saute on medium heat until the onion softens without coloring. Add the red peppers, chili, parsley and half the chopped cilantro. Cook and stir until the peppers begin to soften.

Next, add the tomatoes (with any liquid), paprika, sugar and salt to taste. Leave to simmer, covered, for 15 minutes (or longer. I let this simmer while I prepped all the other food). Remove lid and continue cooking until the sauce is thick and has lost most of the excess liquid.

While making the tomato sauce, prep the okra. Remove the stalk end, being careful not to cut too low to keep the base of the stalk to seal the okra so the seeds are not exposed (note: I didn't do this and it was fine). Mix the okra with the remaining oil and some salt and spread over a roasting pan. Roast for 15-20 minutes, or until just tender but still firm.

Add the cooked okra to the tomato sauce. Stir gently, also mixing in the preserved lemon, olives and half of the remaining chopped cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning. However you decide to serve (hot, room temp, with rice, etc) mix in the lemon juice just before serving and garnish with the remaining coriander and mint. Serves 4.


Brussels sprouts and tofu
Adapted from Plenty

2 tbsp sriracha
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 package firm tofu
500 g brussels sprouts
3/4 cup canola oil
100 g scallions, sliced
1 small red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
120 g shiitake mushrooms, halved or quartered
1/4 cup cilantro
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
salt

First marinate the tofu. Whisk together in a bowl the sriracha, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of seasame oil, the vinegar and maple syrup. Cut the tofu block into 1 cm thick slices then each slice into two squarish pieces. Gently stir to marinate and set aside.

Trim the bases off the sprouts and cut each from the top to bottom in three thick slices. Take a large pan, add 4 tablespoons of the canola oil and heat up well. Throw in half the sprouts with a little salt and cook on high heat for about 2 minutes. Don't stir much. You want the sprouts to almost burn in a few places and cook through but remain crunchy. Remove to a bowl. Repeat with more oil, salt and the rest of the sprouts. Remove the second batch and add the bowl with the first.

Add 2 more tablespoons of the canola oil to the pan, heat up and saute the scallions, chili and mushrooms for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to the sprout bowl. Leave the pan on a high heat.

Take half the marinated tofu and set aside for a later use. I used it to make tofu, lettuce and tomato sandwiches for lunch later in the week and it was pretty awesome.  Use tongs to lift half the remaining tofu pieces from the marinade and gently lay them in the pan (there will probably be some spitting!), spacing them apart and in one layer. Reduce the heat and cook until they get nice and caramelized on each side. Transfer to the sprout bowl and repeat with the rest of the tofu.

Once all the tofu is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and return all the cooked ingredients to it. Add the remaining tofu marinade and half the cilantro. Toss everything together and allow to cool down slightly in the pan. Taste and adjust the salt, if needed. Stir in the remaining sesame oil. Serve warm, but not hot, garnished with sesame seeds and the rest of the cilantro. Serves 4.