Sunday, September 19, 2010

Macro Crack

I have just returned from one of the best vacations ever, visiting friends Myer and Arhia, and quite a few others, in Boston.  The first night I got there, Myer made me a bunch of pasta with steamed tempeh, strips of nori, and a special tamari-tahini sauce that he and Arhia call "macro crack."

Because I miss them already, and because it was delicious, and because I didn't have any fresh veggies in my kitchen, the first meal I made when I got home was a recreation of this same dish.  Macro crack tastes phenomenal on pasta (as well as many other things, like popcorn, for example), and nori (the sea vegetable you use for making sushi rolls) adds great taste and texture: sometimes it's crunchy, but sometimes it's chewy!

Macro crack bears a close family resemblance to the amazing miso-tahini sauce about which I have blogged before, and it's no surprise: both miso and tamari are salty, nutty, fermented soyfoods that meld perfectly with creamy tahini.  I am not sure which one I like better.

As Myer's recipe explains, macro crack is good on just about everything.  It's particularly nice on bitter greens, which is unsurprising, given I've already tried variations of it on kale, and on brussels sprouts.  One evening this week, we branched out, putting it on popcorn (which tasted amazing, but was really messy) and pizza.  When we ran out of salsa, we also began dipping tortilla chips in the leftover sauce, and it tasted like nacho cheese dip from heaven.

For more details and ideas on macro crack, I'd best refer you to the original expert source (seriously, check this document out!).  But, it's basically: 1 part tamari (accept no substitutes) to 2 parts tahini; mix until thick/creamy (this is important), then add water to achieve desired consistency.  Myer's recipe, which calls for 1/2 TB tamari and 1 TB tahini, serves 1 or 2, depending on what you use it for.  In the dish below, I also added a lot of red pepper flakes.

Whole Wheat Rotelle with Steamed Tempeh, Nori Strips, and Macro Crack

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