Garlicky Polenta, Tender Eggplant & Marinated Tofu Tower with Mushroom & Wine Red Sauce

I made this yummy Italian dish for my family last night. It was full of flavor, not too heavy, and went great with some steamed kale and quiona. The presentation really makes the dish stand out, so use it the next time you need to impress someone!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED (serves 4):

  • 1 medium eggplant
  • 1 package of plain firm tofu
  • 1 package of Italian herb polenta
  • 1 medium zucchini
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 Tbs dried oregano
  • 1 Tbs dried basil
  • 4 Tbs olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 Tbs wine vinegar
  • 6 med/small crimini mushrooms
  • 1 can tomato sauce

DIRECTIONS:

*tofu marinade: Combine the basil, oregano, paprika, onion powder, salt, pepper and 2Tbs olive oil, the vinegar, and 1/4 cup tomato sauce in a deep plate and set aside.

  1. 1. Cut the tofu into four, 1-inch thick pieces, and place them in the marinade, coating evenly on each side. Let stand for at least 20 minutes.
  2. 2. Place the tofu along with the remaining marinade and all the garlic (crushed, peeled, and diced) into a large oiled saucepan on medium heat.
  3. 3. Slice the eggplant into four, 2-inch thick medallions, and add to the pan.
  4. 4. Every time the pan starts to brown or get dry, add a little white wine and tomato sauce, which will tenderize and keep the eggplant and tofu from sticking and add flavor. Saute for about 10-15 minutes or until the eggplant is brown on each side and practically falling apart with tenderness.
  5. 5. Cut the polenta into four, 1-inch thick medallions, and in a separate pan, saute on medium heat with the diced mushrooms in 1Tbs olive oil and 2 Tbs white wine until golden on each side.
  6. 6. Slice the raw zucchini longways using a peeler into very thin, long pieces, then lay about 3 or 4 slices on each plate.
  7. 7. Stack the eggplant, tofu, and polenta on top of the zucchini, then fold the zucchini over and flip it so the crease is on the bottom.
  8. 8. Top it with some extra wine-infused tomato sauce from the pan and the sauteed mushrooms, and serve!

3 Comments

joshuakatcher, March 6th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in food, green, Health, organic, recipes, vegan, vegetarian

No Mushrooms in Fiore

*UPDATE* FOX News… I mean New York Magazine (I kid, I kid) Food Bloggers had their (inaccurate) fun with this entry. Truth be told, Fiore is a decent, affordable restaurant in my hood – I just wish they had a few more options for conscientious eaters and that they dealt with customer feedback in a more positive way. ‘Nuff said…

I attended a birthday dinner at a new Italian place, Fiore, in Brooklyn. I was shocked to find that thefiore-small.jpg only vegan options were salad, and the spaghetti with tomato sauce entreé. In New York City – especially in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, I expect the restaurants to not only be smart enough to cater to the burgeoning vegan population (if not simply as an intelligent financial decision), but to be sensitive to general customer feedback of informed customers. After my meal of pasta and salad, I kindly suggested to a manager that, “my meal was tasty, and it would be fantastic if you added a few more vegan options to the menu – like a grilled portabello cap, or mushroom ravioli, or pasta primavera.” With all of the amazing vegan sausages and meat alternatives, dairy alternatives and veg-friendliness of traditional Italian food in general, I expected anything but the response I got. Not “thanks for the feedback” or “we value our customers, so we’ll see what we can do”. In a defensive tone, she said: “Portobellos cause cancer”. What? Excuse me? In an establishment serving up tons of conventional, hormone-ridden, pesticide-pumped ribs, beef, chicken, lamb, cheese, and butter – you’re telling me that portobello mushrooms cause cancer? Needless to say, I was so caught off guard that I was at a loss for words.

After a few hours of research, I’ve discovered that this is total nonsense, of course. Not only that, but the Stanford Cancer Center has recipes for portobellos on their website. Go figure. In fact, mushrooms contain selenium, potassium, copper, and B-complex vitamins, and are purported to have anti-cancer properties. Vegans have been shown to have 40% less chance of getting cancer, and meat and dairy products have been shown to cause cancer. There are mushrooms, that if eaten raw, have certain carcinogenic toxins (that cook or wash off). My only explanation for this ridiculous response of hers is that she was so offended by my vegan request that she said the first terrible thing that came to her mind.

//www.worldcommunitycookbook.org/season/guide/photos/mushrooms.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.

So in the spirit of the slandered portobello, I give you a plethora of mushroom recipes from our friends at Post Punk Kitchen:


13 Comments

TheDiscerningBrute, May 4th 2008 | Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in food, organic, recipes, restaurant, vegan, vegetarian