Best Mother’s Day ever this year! This past Sunday I got to see one of my all time favorite guitar heroes in concert. That hero would be Ottmar Liebert.

I have loved Ottmar Liebert ever since I stumbled upon his album ‘Nouveau Flamenco’ back in 1993. I was freshly home from my honeymoon in Spain and was enamored of all things Spanish. The music and the food, especially.

The concert was incredible. It was at Tupelo Music Hall, an intimate venue close to where I live in Vermont. Any seat would have been perfect, but I was in the front row.

Ottmar came out, slipped off his sandals, put his right foot on a guitarist footstool (so cool….I’d never seen one used) and started playing. He mostly played with his eyes closed, his fingers flying over the strings.

The acoustics were lovely. Two percussionists had so many little tools that made a fascinating number of interesting sounds. There was also a bassist to round out the quartet. It’s the bass, to me, that gives Ottmar Liebert’s music a very definitive sound.

There was no speaking until after five songs. Once he spoke, Ottmar Liebert was totally engaging. Funny, too. He thought Vermont was very similar to his current place of residence, New Mexico.

Really, you need to see Ottmar Liebert if he is in your neck of the woods. He’s sublime live. And he happily obliged when I asked if he would pose in a photo with me. So cool.

Now for the food selection today. Mr. Liebert strikes me as a new-agey kind of vegetarian person. I didn’t ask him what he liked to eat. You know, it would have been weird. “Thanks so much for posing in the photo with me and signing my CD. What kind of food do you like most?” Nah. I’ll just take the barefooted playing as a tofu kind of guy.

Crispy Tofu With Soba, Garlic And Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 block firm tofu, cut into thirds
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbs chopped white onion
2 Tbs sherry
1 head broccoli, chopped into florets
14 oz chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbs hoisin sauce
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbs cornstarch
1 green onion, sliced
Soba noodles

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add tofu; remove after 5 minutes. Drain and press some of the water out. Chop into bite sized pieces.

2. Cook soba according to package directions.

3. Heat 2 Tbs olive oil in a large non-stick pan. Add tofu and cook until browned on all sides, about 12-15 minutes. Once cooked, remove tofu and let drain on a plate covered with a paper towel. Note: the tofu will still be somewhat wet so be careful when you add it to the oil as it will spatter.

4. Add the onions and garlic to the pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add sherry, cook 2 minutes. Add broccoli and red pepper flakes; sauté 3 minutes.

5. Add chicken broth mixed with soy sauce, brown sugar, and hoisin sauce. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.

6. Remove a few Tbs of the sauce to a small bowl and whisk in the cornstarch. Pour the mixture into the pan and stir.

7. Return the tofu to the pan along with half of the green onions. Let simmer for a few minutes.

8. Serve over noodles and top with the rest of the green onions.

Recipe slightly adapted from Proceed With Caution

What you have been waiting for…THE OTTMAR MUSIC.

It is hard to narrow it down, but I think this just may be my favorite Ottmar Liebert song.
Ottmar Liebert-2 The Night

Also very exciting is that there is a free Santa Fe Desert Style Music Sampler that features Ottmar Liebert and some other musicians. Check it out here.

This lovely song is on the SSRI Sampler.
Ottmar Liebert-In The Arms Of Love

Buy Ottmar Liebert’s music here. Check out his website here. I especially enjoyed the ‘Guess This Noise’ on the right sidebar.

Cheers!