This week we’re taking a stroll down memory lane with our first cookbook, Bad Manners The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a Fuck. For the next few months in The Broiler Room we’re gonna revisit all of our books and give them the star-treatment in the lead up to the release of our 5th book,Hungry as Hell. We’ll be highlighting some of our favorite and often overlooked recipes, ridiculous stories about how each book came to life, and all that we’ve learned along the way. We’ll keep plenty of the regular scheduled programming that you’ve come to expect here each Saturday, but we’re excited to share all this hard-earned perspective with you, the people who’ve been here the whole motherfuckin’ time. Read the first entry HERE and don’t forget to preorder the new book.
just skinny, covered in makeup, and terrified w/ Ms. Rachael
Book One will always be special. It represents an endless list of firsts: first time publishing anything, first time on national TV, first time staying in a hotel in New York City. Everything was new. More than a decade in food service, retail, and working in grocery stores had left me feeling like a replaceable cog in the very machine I was advised to rage against. Our book deal with Rodale was the first job I ever had where I was treated as valuable, where I didn’t have to ask to use the bathroom. Every moment was fucking surreal. When the first copy ofEat Like You Give A Fuck(ELYGAF)arrived at my apartment in Echo Park, I burst into tears. I rarely cry but this one ran out of me before I even felt it coming. It was so strange to see something Matt and I had worked so hard on become real, as real as all the other books that lined my shelves. A private labor printed for the whole world to see. It was an overwhelming experience. But there is another thing that sets Book One apart from all the rest, aside from its primacy: the recipes.
I’ve kept recipe notebooks since I was 18 years old. I’d write down delicious things I ate, ideas I had about recipes, everything about foods that I loved. It was a passion and a hobby; a way to feel creative without unnecessary expenses or time commitments. I had to make dinner anyway, it might as well be tasty AND artistic. I wasn’t preparing for anything, just passing time. The recipes I compiled for Book One were all written for me first. They’re the food I made for myself, shared with the people I loved, and how I entertained my friends. I was one of the only vegans I knew so I had to create dishes that were delicious and just happened to be vegan otherwise no one would want to eat with me. Those recipes are 100% selfish. I cooked those meals for family, new friends, potlucks, and birthday parties. I dreamed up recipes for dishes from my favorite restaurants that I couldn’t afford to eat at regularly. I cooked up soups for comfort, salads for sanity, sweets to take the edge off. It was all just for me.
Then I shared them all with you.
The rest of the recipes in the Bad Manners book series were specifically created for each project. Tried and tested during book development to fit a theme or how I was eating at that time. But the food in Book One was the culmination of my life in the kitchen to that point- outside of d-list celebrity and deadlines- for the pure fucking joy of it. So this weekend, try to find some time to cook a meal for the simple pleasure of eating it. Take your time and do it up a little nicer than it needs to be, even if it’s just chopping up some fresh herbs for your avocado toast. It’s the best way to live.
Don’t know where to start? Here’s a favorite weekend lunch of mine from Book One- a take on bún thịt nướng- with a brand-new protein to throw on top, Crispy Shredded Tofu. This tofu is amazing and I can’t believe it took me so long to think of it. Hopefully the mix of old and new recipes will help you find some joy in your kitchen, whether you have the first book or not.
Revamped Vietnamese Rice Noodle Bowl
serves 4 as an entrée
Toasted Sesame Dressing
½ cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoon citrus juice, like orange or lime
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salad:
6.75 ounces maifun or thin rice noodles
A head of lettuce, chopped*
2 medium carrots, skinned and sliced into matchsticks
1 cumber, skinned and sliced into matchsticks
1 cup thinly sliced mint leaves
1 cup thinly sliced basil leaves
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup roasted, salted peanuts, finely chopped
Crispy Shredded Tofu, optional
First make the dressing by pouring all the ingredients together in a jar and shaking that shit up. Taste and add more of whatever the fuck you think it needs. Set it aside while you make the rest of the salad.
Cook the noodles according to package directions. When they are done, drain the noodles and run them under cold water until they are cool to the touch. Set aside. While all that is going down you should get all your veggies and herbs ready.
To serve, pile a large mound of noodles in the center of each plate. Arrange the lettuce, veggies, and herbs around the mound of noodles while leaving a good amount of the noodles exposed. Drizzle the dressing on both the noodles and lightly around the vegetables and herbs and sprinkle the peanuts all over that deliciousness. Serve with lime wedges. This is super easy to prep a day or 2 ahead and just assemble when everybody is ready to get down.
Want to take it to the next level? Top it with some Crispy Shredded Tofu.
* Red leaf, butter, whatever. Just a soft, leafy lettuce. Don’t overthink it.
1 tablespoon hot sauce, like a chili garlic sauce or Sriracha
1 tablespoon agave, maple syrup, or your favorite liquid sweetener
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Spray oil
Wrap the tofu in a clean towel or some paper towels and set something heavy on top to wick away moisture like a heavy pan. Let it get squashed there for at least 15 minutes and up to 45. Whatever you’ve got time for but longer than 15 isn't better necessarily. Just don’t forget about that shit on the counter is all.
While tofu is pressing, make the marinade. In a small glass, mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot sauce, lime juice, toasted sesame oil, and agave together. When the tofu is ready, you’re your grater. Using the side you’d shred a block of cheese on, grate the tofu into short pieces. Pull the block of tofu away from the grater a little as you go so the pieces stay short and you don’t make a bunch of long, flat tofu noodles. It should look like a weird pile of grated cheese. Trust the process. Place the shredded tofu in a bowl and pour over the marinade. Let this shit sit, mixing them around occasionally, for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.
shredded, pressed, and ready to dress
When you are ready to get this going, warm up the oven to 425 degrees. Scoop the tofu out of the marinade and place it on a lined baking sheet in a single layer. Save the excess marinade. Spray the top of the tofu with a little oil and place it in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, pull the tofu out and scrap it all into a pile in the middle of the baking sheet. Pour over a couple tablespoons of the leftover marinade, stir, then scootch everything back into a single layer. Spray with a little oil again and bake for another 8 minutes. You’ll notice the tofu might start getting a little burnt in spots. That’s flavor so don’t be scared. Repeat the process with the extra marinade one more time and put the tofu back in for oven for up to 8 more minutes. The tofu should look burnt in some spots and a little crispy when it’s all done. Pull the tofu out, drizzle over one last tablespoon of marinade and stir it all up. Serve warm or at room temperature. This tofu will keep for several days in the fridge.
Want even more sauce? Drizzle over your favorite teriyaki sauce and serve.
Thank you for joining us here in The Broiler Room. This weekend Recipe Club subscribers are chowing down with us on Every Herb Pesto Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes.
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I made this tonight and it’s incredible!! I did the tofu on the stove top because it’s +30 degrees here and I cannot turn on my oven but it turned out great!
I’m excited to try the crispy tofu.
I made this tonight and it’s incredible!! I did the tofu on the stove top because it’s +30 degrees here and I cannot turn on my oven but it turned out great!