Tofu Piccata

casemnor's Note:

This recipe came from: http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/food/1056 It is absolutely divine. It even has non-tofu people singing its praises. It is a great "starter vegetarian" type recipe. I like to serve it with some plain rice.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 large lemon, peeled and white pith removed
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 lb extra firm tofu, cut into 1/4 inch-thick slices
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 4 ounces white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons soy margarine (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 275F.
2. Cut the lemon into very thin rounds, discarding the seeds, and set aside.
3. Drain tofu, wrap in paper towel, and press for about ten minutes (this will give your tofu a firmer texture).
4. Put the flour into a shallow bowl.
5. Season the tofu with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, tapping off any excess.
6. Transfer the tofu slices to a platter and set aside.
7. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
8. Add the tofu, in batches, and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes total.
9. Place the tofu slices on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.
10. Deglaze the skillet with the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
11. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring a few times, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes.
12. Stir in the lemon slices, capers, and parsley and simmer until hot.
13. Stir in the butter, if using, to enrich the sauce.
14. Arrange the tofu on a serving platter or individual plates.
15. Pour the sauce over the tofu and serve at once.

Reviews

[EmilyStrikesAgain]

We didn't care for this at all. We're vegans and big tofu eaters so my first tip-off should have been that the tofu isn't marinated at all, save for some salt and pepper. The lemon/caper sauce was very good but it's thin so it's more an accompanyment rather than a "sauce" that can save flavorless tofu. If you do make this recipe I'd use half a block of tofu- a full block was way too much. Especially when served with pasta.

[LaurenEels]

This was really one of the best recipes we've tried in a long time. I added an extra tablespoon or so of capers, substituted shitake mushrooms and used fresh-grown parsley (really the way to go if you can!). We also omitted the butter; there wasn't much "sauce" when made this way, but the flavors were still great. I might try it with a little extra white wine and without dredging the tofu next time%u2014the texture was a tad rubbery.

[Chef Pollo]

Loved the cutlets, but found it all a bit lemony. Want to play w/ this one. Thanks for your recipe!