Tofu Marsala and Garlicky Mashed Potatoes

Continuing my recent Italian theme, I decided that Tofu Marsala would be a delicious take on an old classic. I Googled around and found some basic recipes--mine most closely resembles this one from eatingwell.com.

I doubled the recipe here because we were having four other people over for dinner and that doubling it turned out pretty well. A dish with a great sauce like this pairs perfectly with a starch to soak up the gravy. I made Garlicky Mashed Potatoes which were delicious and easy.


Tofu Marsala1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used brown rice flour here to make this GF)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 block extra-firm tofu, drained, rinsed, and pressed and then cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 cloves of garlic pressed
1 teaspoon dried thyme or marjoram
6 cups sliced white mushrooms (about 1 1/2 packages)
1/2 cup dry Marsala wine
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Preheat oven to 250°F.

Whisk the cornstarch, flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Pat sliced tofu with paper towel to remove excess moisture.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the tofu slices in the flour mixture, add them to the pan and cook until crispy and golden, about 3 minutes per side. Place the tofu on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven to keep warm. Repeat until all the tofu pieces are cooked and resting in the oven.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, garlic and thyme to the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until tender and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in Marsala and simmer until slightly reduced, about a minute or so.

Whisk 2 teaspoon of the flour/cornstarch mixture from the dredging with broth and tomato paste in a small bowl. Stir into the mushroom mixture, return to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and glossy, about 5 minutes.

Serve spooned over the tofu, or allow your guests to spoon it themselves.

Garlicky Mashed Potatoes
2-3 lbs potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
2-3 heads garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons earth balance
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
salt and pepper to taste

After peeling the potatoes, place in a large pot with cold water. Bring the pot to boil, and cook for 15 minutes or until a knife easily pierces the potatoes.

Strain the potatoes and garlic and return to the warm pot. Add the earth balance and milk then mash using a hand masher until all the large pieces of potato are gone and the mixture is smooth.

Season with salt and pepper and serve.