So, this is the type of recipe that I like to call “halfway homemade”, because it is so easy and a lot of the prep is done for you- if you choose the right ingredients! I got everything at Trader Joe’s, if you don’t have access to a Trader Joe’s or would prefer to prepare everything on your own, it totally do-able, and I’ll leave notes below on making this recipe from scratch- however, most nights I’m scrambling to get dinner together so I’m so thankful for quick meals!
What you need:
1 block of tofu- drained and pressed
1 cylinder of precooked and formed polenta
1 package of chopped porcini mushrooms
1 onion
5 cloves garlic (I like to use this!)
1 package of mushroom medley
4 TBSP olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste (we used Himalayan pink salt and lemon pepper- also from Trader Joe’s!)
Here’s the plan:
Mince the onion and garlic. Add 2 TBSP olive oil to a small frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and translucent. Add the chopped porcini mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the bag of frozen mushroom medley. Cook 6-7 minutes, flavor with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, heat a small grill pan and add 2 TBSP of olive oil to the pan. Slice the tofu into squares or triangles about an inch-1.5 inches thick. (You should get about 10 slices out of 1 block of pressed tofu.) Slice the polenta into slices, also about an inch and a half thick. Once oil in pan is warm, add the slices of tofu and polenta to grill pan and cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side until you get those nice grill marks.
Stack your polenta and tofu in alternating slices on a plate, top with mushroom mixture. Enjoy!
NOTES ON COOKING FROM SCRATCH:
If you can’t find precooked polenta, you can make your own polenta (it’s just cornmeal and water!) After you cook it, you can mold it with your hands or place in a dish to make it conform to the shape you want. Let cool in fridge until hard and slice-able- usually an hour or two.
If you can’t find the frozen mushroom medley- try to find a few different varieties of mushrooms to use- cremini, oyster, etc- you will need about 2-2.5 cups chopped mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms in the olive oil with the onion and garlic. Flavor with mushroom onion mixture with 1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley and an extra teaspoon or two of olive oil. Increase the amount of garlic in the recipe from 5 cloves to 6 or 7.