WALNUT SAUCE

An elegantly simple Japanese relish for baked tofu or stirfried green beans.

SERVES A

1½ cups walnut pieces

1 cup sake or mirin

¼ cup tamari

The walnut pieces should be coarsely chopped (and, if you wish, toasted). Mix with sake and tamari in a small saucepan and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat. Serve hot. Spoon over slices of tamari-baked tofu, or as a sauce over cooked green beans, carrots, or greens such as spinach.