Cooking for Mr. Tofu... AND Ms. Skirt Steak

Remember Mr. Latte? Watch out now for another culinary coming-together, the story of how writer-chef Ivy Manning, famous for her barbecued ribs, met "Mr. Tofu," a committed vegetarian. Their story had a happy ending both personally and edibly, as Manning learned to adapt her meals to satisfy everyone from carnivore to vegan.

She includes recipes and advice on that topic in her new cookbook, The Adaptable Feast, with directions on dishes like "Cassoulet for A Crowd" and "Moussaka With Lamb or French Lentils." I wrote here about how this "compromise dining" is becoming more widespread, and also talked with Manning about how she figured out the personal and logistical sides of her new menu.

Though Manning had been a vegetarian in her teens, she told me she couldn't go back to it despite her love for Mr. T. She was teaching cooking classes when they met, which included meat dishes, and was testing recipes at home. Also, she's anemic, and liked the iron source meat provided. And, she just plain liked the taste. In the "first blush of love," she would cook vegetarian meals for the couple to share. Then she tried cooking two separate meals. Finally she hit on her "fork in the road" recipes, where some servings can be diverted as vegetarian or bolstered by meat.

Soups were tricky, she said, as meat stock adds such umami and flavor. She developed a mushroom stock with a clear, neutral flavor that did well in her Asian-style soups, and then a "no-chicken" stock. Another big speed bump, she said, was finding a substitute for fish sauce; its "funk" is hard to replicate. And, she discovered that seitan, which gets a bad rap, is easy to make and "really quite delicious." 

Two things I appreciated but hadn't expected to find in the book: One, Manning stresses the importance of eating meat that's been raised in a humane and sustainable way, including tips on how to find it. Then, I appreciated how she allowed for downgrades in her recipes, allowing, for instance, boxed lasagna noodles if you don't want to make your own, saying to use jarred pesto if you haven't got time for her recipe. "I'm a purist," Manning said, but she realizes not everyone has the time or inclination to cook the same way.

And, her current life with Mr. Tofu? Going just great, thank you. Of course, dear reader, she did marry him. And he's thanked in the book's acknowledgments, as someone who "stuck to his vegetarian guns all this time."

-- Rebekah Denn