Stuffed Tofu

Before moving to Calgary, I spent two weeks on a friend's floor in Nelson, BC. This was the final destination of a cross-Canada trek that had consumed us for the last month. My travel companion, Aaron, had a place all ready for him in Nelson, as he intended on going to school there. I intended on moving to Calgary, but I was in no rush, so we spent our days exploring the beautiful town of Nelson together. Unfortunately, we had no television, no computer, no stereo, no fancy iphones and ... no friends! So we would make a daily trip to the library to get books, and a daily trip to the grocery store to plan our nightly collaborative meal. 

Nelson is full of fresh local food. Every household has its own garden and compost pile. The Nelson Brewery makes some excellent micro brews, and there is even a local tofu-making facility. I discovered Silverking tofu at a corner store in Nelson (yes, you can buy tofu in corner stores in Nelson), and it is by far the best tofu I've ever had. You can pick it up here in Calgary at Community Natural Foods.

 One night we came up with this strange idea to pack some goats cheese onto some of this lovely tofu, and then bread it and fry it. The experiment went well, structurally speaking, but there was something missing in terms of flavour. Out of our limited condiment selection I chose some grainy Dijon mustard to pair with this dish. I may not be a flavour genius, but I really enjoyed the pairing of goats cheese and grainy mustard and we ended up making this twice in the two weeks I was in Nelson.

This is the original attempt: Nelson, BC 2009

Second attempt is more structurally sound.

Some time later I was contemplating what I think is a common idea amongst vegetarians, namely, stuffed tofu. Can it be stuffed? Will it fall apart? What to stuff it with? Then it occurred to me that I could improve upon the Nelson recipe by slicing the tofu in half and stuffing it with spinach and Dijon mustard. Eureka! 

The process is a bit delicate because tofu does have the potential to break apart. But in the picture below you can see how I am able to hold back the top flap and spread the Dijon mustard onto the bottom. Notice how the tofu is still connected at the hinge.

I cooked some frozen spinach with some garlic powder, for good measure. Then I stuffed the spinach into the tofu. You can also see below how the goats cheese is pressed into the top of the tofu. It's good to get a nice thick layer without damaging the tofu. I suppose you could try putting the goats cheese into the tofu, as this would be consistent with the idea of "stuffing" ... but this is what I've always done, and I like how the cheese gets melty under the crunchy breadcrumb coating. 

It is strangely not that difficult to dip the compiled tofu into the beaten egg and roll it in bread crumbs. Then it's just a matter of frying it. You'll have to be a little delicate with the cheese-side of the tofu. If you're that worried about it, try putting the cheese inside the tofu instead of on top. But I stick by my methods of madness. I also recommend turning the tofu onto all sides so that it is golden brown all around. 

Viola! Here is my answer to the question of stuffed tofu. This may not be the healthiest tofu preparation ever, but you are already dropping calories by eating tofu instead of meat. So rejoice!

Stuffed Tofu

(recipe pertains to one serving, but you can expand upon it... obviously...)

1 relatively thick tofu steak*

3 cubes frozen spinach (or a big 'ol handful if not cubed)

1 clove garlic, or 1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp grainy Dijon

1/3 tube of soft goats cheese

1 egg, beaten
breadcrumbs, seasoned with salt, pepper

1) Carefully slice tofu steak down the middle, being careful not to dismantle it, and leaving it connected at the seam.

3) Spread the inside with Dijon mustard.

4) Cook the spinach and garlic in a skillet. Once cooked, carefully place it on top of the mustard inside the tofu steak.

5) Pat goats cheese on top of tofu steak.

6) Dip tofu steaks in egg and then roll in breadcrumbs.

7) Fry in oil.

* A "tofu steak" is my term for a portion of tofu cut the longest and widest way from the block. I use it in many of my dishes where I am adapting a meat 'n' potatoes dish to tofu. I also strongly advise you to freeze and thaw your tofu before using it, as this creates a more meaty texture. It is also quite important to carefully squeeze some water out of your tofu before preparing it.