Salad #37

Damn you, Mark Bittman. Why did you have to list 101 Simple Salads for the Season? Why couldn't you stop at 10 or so? Now the summer is nearly over and I'm not even close to finishing my quest to try out the entire list.

My latest attempt was #37.

37. Cube smoked tofu, then brush it with a mixture of honey and orange juice; broil until browned. Toss with chopped cucumbers, radishes and peas or pea shoots; drizzle with soy sauce and lime juice.

I had no problem buying smoked tofu and cubing it. Then I brushed it with the mix of honey and orange juice. No problem until I get to the part about broiling.

"You mean I put it on a pan and broil it?" I asked Avo.

"Yes, but keep an eye on it. If it's too far from the flame, nothing will happen. If it's too close, it will turn black."

That sounds ominous.

I tried my best to keep an eye on it, but I guess I got distracted because the tofu ended up a bit crispy.

My second mistake was to use frozen peas rather than fresh ones.

The result? Somewhat inedible.

Avo added salt and hot chili sauce and then piled it on fresh rice, but it still wasn't quite edible. In fact, the unlikely combination of peas, honey and orange juice was somewhat disgusting.

Sadly, we ended up tossing out our dinner (better than tossing it up!)

It's worth noting that this is the first recipe from Bittman's list that didn't work out for us.

Don't worry: I haven't lost faith in Bittman and his salads. Next up, I'm going to try #87, cold not-sesame noodles. Let's hope that I have more luck with that one.