I have been doing the sustainable meat only thing for the past couple of years. The price of it, however, keeps me from really eating a lot of meat so I have been enjoying a primarily vegetarian diet. This led to the use of tofu instead of chicken in this awesome Italian-American staple.
It was [surprisingly] very good. I marinated the tofu (one block sliced in 3 pieces width wise) in red wine, olive oil, salt n pepper, and tons of fresh herbs until it took on the light purple color...maybe an hour or 2. Then, I let it dry on a cookie rack and patted them dry before breading. For the breading I used the "standard breading procedure" (the technical culinary school term)- includes one dish of seasoned flour, one of whisked eggs, and one of seasoned panko bread crumbs. Take each slice and cover in flour, then eggwash, then panko and throw them into a hot pan with about 1/4 inch of oil. Let them brown and flip...real quick and tofu doesn't have to be cooked through, so it saves a lot of trouble! Take out and put them on the cookie rack (so they can drain excess oil and stay crispy).
Later on, (I did the browning ahead of time) throw them in the oven with some grated cheese- I use pecorino roman- on top until warmed. Then , I took them out and smothered them in marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella, and some more pecorino romano. Then bake/broil until browned.
Trust me, I know it sounds weird, but I totally recommend this recipe. I'm really not a big fan of turning tofu into something resembling meat (ie. tofu dogs- sick). I'm guessing that the tofu is a great carrier of flavors because the dish gets most of the flavor from the fresh herbs, crispy breading, sharp grated cheese, sweet marinara, and fresh mozz.
FYI: Served with buttery garlic bread, and sauteed kale, and red wine of course!! Bon Appetito!
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