MARSALA AND JACK DANIEL’S CLEVELAND TOFU DISH

MARSALA AND JACK DANIEL’S CLEVELAND TOFU DISH

Risotto rice topped with a Marsala mushroom and green bean saute, then with Cleveland Tofu sticks pan-fried in a Marsala and Jack Daniel’s sauce with orange zest strips!

Serves 4

Rice:

1-1/4 c. water

1 t. salt

1-1/4 c. risotta rice (I used Arborio brand), or 1-1/4 c. parboiled long grain white rice

In large saucepan bring water and salt to boil. Add rice, stir. Return to boil, sir again, then cover tightly, reduce heat to low and cook 20 minutes. Remove from heat, remove cover and fluff with fork. Set aside.

Saute:

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

8 oz. pkg. white button mushrooms, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 t. salt

3 lg. peeled, garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 c. froz. cut green beans (drop in boiling water till thawed and tender, drain immediately and well)

1/4 c. Marsala wine

freshly ground black pepper

In large skillet, over medium heat, melt olive oil. Add mushrooms and salt, then saute till caramelized.

Add garlic, green beans, Marsala and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cook on low heat, stirring often till most of Marsala evaporates. Turn heat off, salt to taste and let set till ready to reheat and serve.

Sauce and fried tofu:

1/2 c. Jack Daniel’s Original No. 7 Recipe – barbecue sauce

1/3 c. Marsala wine

1/4 c. orange zest strips * see below

1 t. dark brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

16 oz. container Cleveland Tofu, rinsed well

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

salt

light sprinkle of paprika, garlic powder, and turmeric

In small bowl combine Jack Daniel’s barbecue sauce, Marsala, orange zest, brown sugar. Stir well, then salt and pepper to taste.

Cut tofu into 12 equal sticks: Cut into 4 equal slabs from top to bottom, then cut each slab into 3 equal sticks. (If using extra firm water-packed tofu, stand tofu on it’s long side/edge and cut block in half, from top to bottom, the long way, making 2 slabs, then cut each slab crosswise into 6 equal sticks.)

Lay tofu sticks on paper towels to absorb the moisture, then pat the tops of the sticks with more paper towels to absorb the moisture on top.

In large skillet, over medium heat, melt olive oil. Lightly sprinkle the oil with salt. Place tofu sticks in skillet without touching each other.

Sprinkle tops of tofu sticks lightly with paprika, garlic powder and turmeric. Wait till bottoms have turned golden brown, then gently flip each over to brown the other side.

Pour sauce over sticks. Immediately cover tightly to let the steam permeate the tofu. Only a minute. Remove cover, spoon sauce evenly over sticks, then flip again, and cook till sauce thickens. (After adding the sauce to the skillet, it only takes about 2 minutes.) You don’t want all the sauce to evaporate, just some of it. Turn heat off.

To serve: Place a scoop of rice on each plate. Top the rice with the saute, then lay 3 tofu sticks per serving on top of the saute. Spoon a little sauce over the sticks. Serve.

Notes: Mild, soothing flavors and textures in this special dish!

* LEMON OR ORANGE ZEST. The zest of a lemon/orange is the outer most layer of the peel (skin) of the lemon without any white part that is found underneath the peel (the pith). If you have a very sharp potato peeler, you can peel the zest off with that, if not, use a sharp knife and peel as you would an apple into broad strips.

Place each peel yellow/orange side down on board, then using a sharp, wide knife run knife horizontally between the white part (pith) and the yellow/orange part (peel), removing all of the white part.

Trim the rough edges of the peel, cutting into a rectangular shape. Now cut from end to end into 1/16th inch wide strips.

---

---