I went on the blog today to look up an older recipe that I needed, only to realise that the last recipe I have posted was posted in MAY! Well, just about three months later I guess I should share something new… So here we are with a delicious vegan summer dish, drawing inspiration from an Olive magazine recipe I found. I’ve changed it a bit – using bok choy instead of broccoli and smoked tofu instead of plain tofu. I usually cook tofu in more Asian style dishes, but using it in what’s more Mediterranean flavours (lemon, capers, white wine) works incredibly well. I wasn’t sure about it when reading the ingredients list, but trust me, it’s good.

Piccata refers to a dish where you cook, usually, meat that is sliced, covered in flour and in a sauce made with lemon, butter and capers (thanks google!).

More with tofu: Gizzi Erskine’s Miso ramen with squash, tofu and kimchi | Smoked Tofu Dirty Burger | Miso ramen with ginger tofu

Smoked Tofu Piccata

Serves 2 | Prep 10 mins | Cook 15 mins
Easy | Vegan | Dairy and Gluten-Free

You’ll need

  • extra-firm smoked tofu 280g block, drained and patted dry;
  • gram (chickpea) flour 40g;
  • olive oil 3½ tbsp;
  • lemon 1, ½ sliced, ½ juiced to make 1 tbsp;
  • garlic 1 clove, crushed;
  • vegan dry white wine 120ml;
  • vegetable stock 80ml;
  • capers 1 tbsp, drained;
  • bok choy, 2, halved;
  • green beans 160g, trimmed;
  • flat-leaf parsley ½ a small bunch, roughly chopped.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and heat the oven to 110C/fan 90C/gas ¼.

Cut the tofu width-wise into 8 slices and season. Put the gram flour on a plate and season lightly. Coat the tofu in the flour, shaking off any excess.

Heat 2½ tbsp of oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the tofu along with the lemon slices. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until the tofu and lemon are lightly browned and the tofu is a little crispy. Transfer everything to a plate and put in the oven to keep warm.

Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds until just fragrant. Pour in the wine and bring to the boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any brown bits. Cook for 2 minutes until reduced by roughly two-thirds. Add the stock, cooking until reduced by a third. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining olive oil, capers and lemon juice. Season to taste.

While making the sauce, cook the bok choy and green beans in the pan of boiling water for 3 minutes and then drain. Arrange the broccoli and beans on a serving plate along with the tofu and lemon slices, and pour over the sauce from the pan. Serve with the parsley scattered over.

Adapted from Olive Magazine recipe, available online here.