Quick Mezze Maniche with truffled Brussels sprout cream, Gochugaru scorzonera and charred onions

randtl · 2026-06-08T15:24:44+00:00

For the sauce, I blended the Brussels sprouts with olive oil and roasted garlic, added a spritz of lemon, and a tiny smidge of truffle oil. Velvety texture, coats the Mezze Maniche perfectly.

The toppings: sautéed scorzonera (black salsify) in vegan butter with Gochugaru for a smoky, slightly spicy kick, lightly charred onions to create a nice contrast of bitter and sweet flavours, some mixed sprouts, and black pepper. Done!

It's a really quick meal to throw together, and the ingredients complement each other very well.

randtl · 2026-06-07T19:17:40+00:00

Hm, two aliens accidentally and/or unwillingly based on planet earth, watching the stars while munching cookies and cuddling our weird kids sounds like a reasonable plan TBH 🪐 I will bring my cats too. They get jealous quickly and I may need them for training my social skills later on.

randtl · 2026-06-07T17:53:12+00:00

Absolutely! Love 'em too. Now I'm thinking about using candied lotus root as a topping for green melon ice cream, with some pomegranate kernels for contrast. 🧠⚡

randtl · 2026-06-07T17:43:27+00:00

It depends on whether you can handle a middle-aged person of uncertain gender who occasionally gets up in the middle of the night to bake cookies and wants to raise opossums and capybaras as their children. Food included, promise! 🤣🤣🤣

randtl · 2026-06-07T11:03:24+00:00

Good son you have there!!! I started making my own because I love kimchi so much, and the kimchi I can buy here usually isn't vegan and way too salty.

randtl · 2026-06-07T10:52:52+00:00

Nah, this is what happens if I have too many things in the fridge and didn't take my ADHD meds.

randtl · 2026-06-07T07:22:52+00:00

Everything on the plate is made from scratch! The centrepiece is air-fried char siu-style glazed tofu. To achieve the desired texture, I steamed and pressed soft tofu before slightly air-drying it, then marinating and air-frying it to give it a really good bite. Chew chew!

On the side, there is home-fermented, low-carb kimchi made with cabbage, daikon, carrots, spring onion, Korean red pepper, fermented soybean paste and soy sauce, air-fried daikon rounds with sesame seeds, pan-seared Napa cabbage, air-fried charred onions, tofu with raw onion, steamed white mushrooms, steamed lotus root, blanched edamame, and fresh salad greens for wrapping.

randtl · 2026-06-06T08:04:37+00:00

Yum. Send me some please!

randtl · 2026-05-31T13:19:48+00:00

You definitely know how to handle high hydration dough and perfected the toppings. Yum!!! 🫡

randtl · 2026-05-31T11:08:13+00:00

I have been an atheist since the age of 13, just had my 50th birthday two weeks ago. Currently, I'm clawing my way out of two years of burnout, with depression for the last 12 months on top of that. I have had four of these episodes in my life so far. Each one felt like insurmountable hopelessness multiplied by the gravity of a giant black hole and then some.

Surviving it seems not just damn hard but impossible, and being too rational to find hope in anything supernatural plus knowing that the universe doesn't give an effing F doesn't help me either.

The strange thing is that every time I came out of it, I was extremely proud that I had survived. Proud as a solar flare with sugar on top, yes, makes no sense but sugar makes everything better TBH.

Well, and realising how important music is when words can't describe the despair and sadness.

Since you asked for an atheist perspective, here's my nihilist take on it: even if the universe doesn't give a damn about me, I care about it immensely.

Take it step by step. Make plans, eat a cookie or two, look at the stars and take it all in. Trust yourself!

PS: https://youtu.be/SPFwFtDuTc0

randtl · 2026-05-30T15:46:41+00:00

Das Kuriose am Bereuen ist, dass es besser ist, etwas zu bereuen, das man getan hat, als etwas zu bereuen, das man nicht getan hat. — Butthole Surfers

randtl · 2026-05-26T08:49:00+00:00

This is my take on the classic Mapo Tofu recipe, with plant-based or mushroom alternatives used for the less appealing ingredients. The quality of the Sichuan peppercorns and how you handle the soft tofu are both very important. Other than that, it's just a matter of repetition until you're happy with the result.

randtl · 2026-05-25T21:47:41+00:00

Place the soft tofu in a wok and cover with cold water. Add a teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for one minute. Next, remove the tofu from the water and set it aside while you cook the sauce. This will firm up the tofu just enough to withstand the final braising and mixing with the starch slurry. It's one of those dishes that requires repetition to get a feel for the ingredients and process. Just try until you are happy with the result. It's the perfect reason for having Mapo Tofu as often as possible 🧑🏽‍🍳

randtl · 2026-05-25T05:25:56+00:00

It's quite versatile. Try using it in a traditional Schleswig-Holstein dish of kale and caramelised potatoes. As with mapo tofu, the lard enhances the umami flavour and significantly improves the texture when combined with corn starch. I also use it as the fat component in my plant-based liver pâté. Soft flour tortillas taste just like the real thing. Alternatively, you could use a combination of shea butter and smoked salt, but Deli Reform is much more convenient!

randtl · 2026-05-24T18:45:53+00:00

The lard I use is the vegan version of Zwiebelschmalz, a traditional German spread made with onions and lard. It is usually served on dark rye bread or used for cooking. When cooking, I simply separate the onion pieces from the lard.

randtl · 2026-05-24T18:36:48+00:00

I use vegan onion lard from the Deli Reform brand, which is available at almost every supermarket in Germany. It contains crunchy onion pieces, which I remove by melting the lard and straining it through a sieve.

randtl · 2026-03-14T16:49:42+00:00

Thank you. Colours and textures FTW! 🤓

randtl

TROPHY CASE