Back to Reality

  

After going to Buenos Aires, a fantastic Thanksgiving, and the incredible Ko, I’ve come back to earth to start cooking from my hoarder file again.  I realized that I have cooked from Gourmet, only the recipes come from Epicurious, not the magazine.  I almost feel like I have blood on my hands, aiding in the print edition’s demise by drawing from the web.  But, it’s just so convenient.  Search for a recipe via an ingredient, such as celery, and voila!  You can hang on to it for three years and not even know that you have it, or remember printing it out.

I’m always looking for ways to use up a bundle of celery, this Celery, Sesame and Tofu Salad from the June 2006 issue of Gourmet, looked like a fresh alternative.  Finely sliced celery and thin strips of tofu in a sesame vinaigrette, what’s not to like?  I just wish that I liked it more.  It had no tooth, no traction, kind of bland.  Maybe it was the lack of flavoring, or the rawness of the tofu and celery which didn’t quite integrate.  A quick saute with a little black bean sauce, and I had it where I liked it.  Not so much a salad, but an improvement.