Broccoli Rising and Heroes in Disguise

I voted early last week — along with 58 million other citizens. My polling station was busier than I’d ever seen it, buzzing with happy energy, a sense that we were all participating in the democratic process. Wow, I thought, this is what it’s about.  

It wasn’t always like this, you know. America started out under British rule.  We didn’t like it. Back in 1787, on the final day of crafting our Constitution, political insider Elizabeth Willing Powel — yes, a woman —  approached Benjamin Franklin and asked, “What do we have, a republic or a monarchy?” Franklin replied, “A republic.  If you can keep it.” Tomorrow, Election Day, we’ll know if we can.  

You may have voted early too. Or know who you’re planning to vote for tomorrow. But if you’re among the handful of voters who haven’t made up their minds, think about heroes. Because really, with the country so divided, isn’t that what we’re looking for? But how can you tell who the hero really is? 

Here’s the thing — heroes tend to keep their true identity hidden. Benjamin Franklin, 81 and gout-ridden at the time of the Constitutional Convention was no hottie with six-pack abs. But here’s a secret — in myths and archetypes, heroes wear white. Granted, it’s not the smartest choice. If you’re going to fight the enemy, chances are things are going to get messy. White outfits shows everything — speaking from experience here. But white somehow taps into our collective unconscious.  We associate it with goodness, with light. Joseph Campbell’s classic The Hero With a Thousand Faces is full of heroes in white, from Arthurian legend to Siberian myth.  And in real life, suffragettes, women campaigning for the right to vote a century ago wore white.  It’s also being worn by those of us paying homage to those brave women today.

While you chew on that, chew on another hero in white — tofu. Misunderstood, sure. Many heroes are. But this soybean cake has been feeding mankind for millennia.  It’s versatile, affordable, digestible, low in carbon emissions, high in protein. . . and still misunderstood.

Don’t dismiss it as bland—that’s just its disguise. Tofu shapeshifts as effortlessly as the X-Men’s Mystique. Grilled or panfried extra-firm tofu has a meaty texture. Mild-mannered silken tofu disappears effortlessly into a velvety sauce or custard. Firm or silken or somewhere in between, it assumes whatever flavors it’s seasoned with.

I know there are still a lot of tofu skeptics out there — and honey, you may be one of them.  Some of my favorite fellow Substack food writers believe in tofu the way I do.  They’ve kindly shared their tofu recipes, so you can see and taste how heroic it is. 

James Beard Award-winner Andrea Nguyen writes Pass the Fish Sauce. She also wrote the book on tofu. I love her lemongrass tofu crumbles, but I am obsessed with her recipe for shira aé — Japanese smashed tofu salad. I couldn’t believe I never got to try this when Benjamin and I lived in Tokyo — I’d have loved it then like love it now.  Andrea explained shira aé to be the kind of dish most likely made at home. It can look a little homely-looking too, but it can be dolled up a million different ways.  It’s a master of disguise, but its name tells you what it really is. Shira is Japanese for white. Aé means dressing. It’s a hero in a white dress.

Smashed and seasoned tofu takes on a different disguise with my hold the egg creamy tofu salad. Simple and unassuming as it is, is one of my most requested recipes. Quick, satisfying and feeds you fast when lunchtime came and went without you.

• Another true blue tofu advocate is Stir the Pot who tears it up with this recipe for grilled coconut torn tofu with zesty chimichurri 

• Paolo Peralta of  Make Pure Thy Heart shares his recipe for miso-barbecue glazed tofu 

I love you and I love tofu and I’m nervous as hell about this election and what it may mean for our democracy. I needed to do something distracting and creative last week, so I created a fantastic banana cream pie recipe for you. The flavor is deeply banana, the texture luxe and velvety, and the not-so-secret ingredient is tofu.   Paid subscribers will find the recipe below.

You don’t have to wear white to be a hero. You can be one by voting, by being part of the democratic process, part of We the People. Imperfect as it is, America is not a monarchy, but a republic. “Our responsibility,” as Benjamin Franklin said, “is to keep it.”

November 5 Election Day 

November 11 Veterans Day 

November 17-24 Miami Book Fair - Miami’s epic festival of books and authors 

November 28  Thanksgiving — give thanks, spread light 

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