Italian Marinated Tofu Food

MARINATED TOFU

Steps:

• 1. Slice the tofu into 1/2-inch-thick slabs and lay the slices on top of paper towels. Use more paper towels (you'll probably need three) and firmly pat the tofu in order to remove as much of the water as possible. Cut the tofu into 3/4-inch cubes.
• 2. In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, orange juice, sesame oil, and canola oil. Add the tofu cubes and toss gently. Cover and let the tofu marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, and up to 24 hours.
• 3. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Spray a large shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Place the tofu in a single layer in the baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

PERFECT GRILLED TOFU

Steps:

• Wrap tofu in a clean dish towel and weight it with something heavy such as a large can; leave it to drain for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix together remaining ingredients in a bowl.
• Cut each piece of tofu crosswise into 6 thick slices and put it all in a baking dish. Pour marinade over tofu, turning to coat, and chill, covered, turning occasionally, at least 30 minutes or up to 48 hours. Longer is better, but shorter is totally fine.
• Preheat a gas grill on high heat (450 degrees F to 650 degrees F) 10 minutes, then reduce heat to medium (325 degrees F to 375 degrees F)--or do whatever the equivalent is if you're using charcoal. Oil grate.
• Transfer tofu from marinade (letting excess drip off and reserving marinade) to grill with a spatula. Cover grill and cook tofu, turning once, until well browned but before grill marks get black, 10 to 15 minutes total. Transfer tofu to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
• Bring reserved marinade to a boil in a saucepan and boil until it reduces to about 1 cup, about 2 minutes. Pour over tofu and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

GRILLED OR PAN-FRIED MARINATED TOFU

Steps:

• Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a 2-quart bowl. Whisk together well.
• Drain the tofu and pat dry with paper towels. Slice into 1/2-inch thick slabs, and blot each slab with paper towels. Add to the bowl with the marinade, and gently toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes to an hour, or for up to a day.
• To pan-fry the tofu, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. When the oil is hot, add the tofu in one layer (you may have to do this in batches). Cook on one side for one to two minutes, until lightly colored. Using tongs, turn the tofu over and cook for another one to two minutes, or until lightly colored on the other side. Remove from the pan, and serve with additional marinade or soy sauce. To grill the tofu, prepare a medium-hot grill. Brush the grill with oil, and grill until grill marks appear, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side. Remove from the heat, and serve with additional marinade or soy sauce.

ITALIAN MARINATED TOFU

Steps:

• Combine the Wine, Oil, Vinegar, Bragg's or Tamari, Garlic, Basil, Dill, And Oregano in a shallow bowl. Whisk lightly to combine, and place tofu squares into marinade. Swish to cover, then cover the bowl and leave alone for 30 minutes.
• Flip. Leave alone for another 30 minutes.
• Heat a medium skillet over high heat, pour a small amount of olive oil in and swirl til the skillet is covered.
• Pour the marinade into the skillet, let it begin to heat. Place tofu squares (which now should be lightly gold-brown instead of the milky white it began as) into the skillet, and use a spatula to squish and cut the tofu into smaller peices.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until the marinade is basically gone.
• If desired, cook until tofu is drier and darker. Or closer to burned, whichever. I stopped mine when it was golden and there was still a bit of liquids left.
• Spoon out onto a plate and eat as is, or place a little in a lettuce leaf and wrap and eat, or eat on bread.
• If desired, top with pepper, soy cheese shreds, broccoli sprouts, more dried spices, pasta sauce, mix with rice or vegetables, or basically anything.
• Since this is an 'Italian' style marinade, consider matching it up with like foods.
• However you take it, enjoy!
• You can try doubling the recipe, if you do, please post how it went!