the perfect compromise

i'm sure it's not easy to live 

with me. i mean of course,

i'm lovely to live to with,

(right, lar?), but 

i'm probably

not always the most

fun person

to prepare

your dinner.

i don't eat red meat,

or most things associated with it,

i'm not wild about chicken

or turkey

and although

i love fish and seafood,

i can often go weeks

without making

them for dinner 

and not even realize it.

so sometimes,

i make meals more 

substantial

by adding an egg,

poached or fried,

and other times,

i have to get creative.

larry loves italian --

i like it. 

but it wouldn't

be my first

choice

of cuisine

(or my second)

when deciding

where to dine

for the night.

so, years ago,

to bridge the italian, 

non-meat-eating

gap,

i started making this

tofu parm.

now, the thing about

tofu is that it has its devout

lovers, 

and just as determined,

haters.

i fall in the first group,

but let me tell you,

even i would want to 

spend too many meals 

eating plain pieces of

cold tofu.

they taste, mostly, like...

nothing.

so do yourself a favor 

and flavor it up. 

marinate it,

broil it,

pan-fry it.

look at it as a 

vehicle

for

sauces and seasonings.

here,

the slices are coated using

the standard breading

procedure:

flour,

egg,

then, breadcrumbs.

you really want to spice

both dry components

well, to ensure that they

do their part.

salt, pepper,

cayenne,

oregano and 

grated parm do wonders.

while, fresh toasted breadcrumbs,

are the tastiest,

i've used panko

(like in this case),

and in a pinch, italian dried breadcrumbs.

yes, i know it's a travesty. 

and, yes, i know that my

can and i could be shunned from

the culinary community just for

the admission, 

but the uncouth crumbs

do wonders for tofu.

(i'm sure the tofu would

be amazing pan-fried,

but i've always baked the

pieces. 

it's less messy 

and

feels like a less-guilty

alternative -

you'll be happy later

when it comes time 

to add the cheese.)

while the tofu

is working so hard 

to make itself

delicious, i try to give it

a hand by simmering together

a quick marinara and grating

mozzarella. 

the great thing though,

is that this recipe can be what you

make it. if you're short on time,

layer the mixture with a jar

of the best sauce you can

find and sprinkle with 

pre-shredded cheese.

and don't feel guilty.  

regardless,

the casserole makes your

house smell like

the best of italian restaurants. 

and when you pull the dish from

the oven,

hot, browned and bubbling,

it's only natural to feel

a growing impatience

that has built in anticipation - 

having to wait to take

your first bite

can be

exhausting.

i will not

go far as to

lie and say

that you will

think you're noshing

on chicken

or 

veal,

but i do think it's

fair to say

that after a couple bites, 

you won't care.

tofu parmigiana

the trick for making tofu taste good, is to drain and blot out as much of the water as possible, which in turn, helps the pieces absorb as much flavoring as possible. to do: drain tofu from container. blot with a couple paper towels. cut into desired pieces. place each piece on a paper towel; top with another paper towel and press. repeat several times and let sit while you prepare other things (get the sauce, started, set up the breading station, preheat the oven, etc.).

also, with the exception of the egg (because i finally learned my lesson - one just isn't enough), i never measure the ingredients for the breading. it dirties other dishes and is always a bit hard to predict, so i eyeball it. it's never steered me wrong.

one last thing, i usually make the parm in a 8x8 pan, but in this case i used gratin dishes. either way it makes enough for about three people, four if you're not very hungry or offer bread, pasta and salad as well. these little dishes (you would need three) are an easier, prettier way to serve, but if you're dining with family and are not concerned with appearences, save yourself the prep time - make it in one dish. and if you're feeding six, you can easily double the recipe.

1 pkg. (16 oz.) firm tofu, drained

flour

2 eggs, beaten with a few drops of water 

fresh bread crumbs or panko

salt, pepper, cayenne pepper,

oregano and grated parm

1 ball (8 oz.) part-skim mozzarella

2 oz. parm (give or take)

about 2 1/2 cups marinara sauce (recipe below)

using sharp knife, carefully cut tofu horizontaly into six slices; halve slices to get 12 rectangular pieces. drain as directed above. place flour in one bowl; add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper (just a dash). place eggs in a second bowl. place breadcrumbs in a third bowl; stir in salt, pepper, cayenne pepper (just a dash), oregano and a healthy handful of grated parm. 

heat oven to 350 F. coat foil-lined baking sheet with cooking spray.

using left hand, place one piece tofu in flour; shake off excess. using right hand, dip in egg, making sure to cover and shake off excess. place in bowl of breadcrumbs; make sure the piece is coated and using left hand transfer to baking sheet. repeat with remaining pieces of tofu. spray with cooking spray. bake tofu 20 minutes; turn pieces and bake 20 minutes more until golden brown. 

meanwhile, grate both cheeses.

to assemble: spread about 3/4 cups sauce in bottom of an 8x8 dish (or 1/4 cup in bottom of each gratin dish). top with half the tofu pieces (or two in each gratin dish). top with 3/4 cup marinara sauce, half the grated mozzarrella, half the grated parm and sprinkle with oregano. place remaining tofu pieces on top, in the opposite direction of the first. top with remaining marinaria, remaining mozzarella, remaining parm and oregano. coat a piece (or pieces) of aluminum foil with cooking spray. firmly cover dish. place on baking sheet. bake 25 minutes (20 for smaller dishes); uncover. bake 5 minutes more. turn oven to broil and cook 2 minutes, or until cheese bubbles and begins to brown in spots.

quick marinara

this may seem like a lot of ingredients for something quick, but most of them are already in your cabinet and the amounts can be adjusted (or the ingredients omitted) depending upon what you have. you probably will not use all the sauce for the tofu parm. the rest can be frozen.

1 tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. red peper flakes

1 medium onion, peeled and diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced

1/4 cup white wine (optional)

1 can (28-32 oz.) cherry or plum tomatoes

1 can (6 oz.) tomato puree

2 Tbs. grated parm

in saucepot, over medium-high, warm oil with oregano and red pepper flakes. add onions and garlic and cook 6-8 minutes, or until softened and starting to turn golden. season with salt and pepper. add wine if using and cook 2 minutes. add tomatoes, breaking up as you put them in and puree. bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to low; let simmer 20 minutes, or until thickened. season with salt and pepper; stir in grated parm and cook 2 minute, more.