It's an Italian Festa this evening featuring tofu marsala, focaccia, cheese and Italian red wine.  Many are celebrating with delicious Italian foods as part of a new blogging event "Festa Italian" co-hosted by Maryann of Finding La Dolce Vita and Marie of Proud Italian Cook.  Be certain to visit their blogs to view the roundup!

With so many delicious Italian recipes to choose from I was having a hard time deciding what to make.  I searched through my MacGourmet recipe database for an Italian recipe I haven't made in a while and tofu marsala with mushrooms caught my attention.  This is a quick and easy meal to prepare, delightfully flavored by dry Marsala wine which reduces to form a wonderful glaze over the tofu and mushrooms.  Marsala wine is available in most grocery stores in the port & sherry section.  It has a long shelf life so you don't need to be concerned about purchasing a bottle to only use one cup.  Keep it in your pantry and experiment by adding Marsala to other sauces and pasta dishes. 

After enjoying our tofu Marsala, I served some homemade focaccia with some delicacies to nibble on.  This may be a bit backwards but I like knowing that the cooking part of the meal is completed and cleaned up.  Now I can sip my wine, converse with Wilson and nibble all evening long on hot out of the oven focaccia, roasted bell peppers, and wonderful Italian cheeses and olives. 

I made my focaccia based on the recipe found in The Bread Baker's Apprentice, my only adaptation was to use half whole wheat flour.  Before baking, I drizzled my focaccia with some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled it liberally with coarse chardonnay smoked sea salt and fresh rosemary.

The cheese pictured are: Tuada sheep milk, Provolone Picante Gigantino cow milk and Lange Robiola from cow, goat and sheep milk.

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Tofu Marsala

1 lb. tofu, cut into 6 pieces & pressed

3 T. olive oil

fresh lemon juice

½ cup flour

½ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp pepper

1 tsp oregano

1 T. butter

3 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced, about 18

1 cup dry Marsala wine

fresh lemon

parsley, chopped

Cut the tofu into 6 pieces and press for at least one hour.

Heat olive oil in large saute pan over medium-high heat.

In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Dip the tofu in fresh lemon juice and dredge both sides in the seasoned flour, shake off excess flour and place in saute pan. Cook the tofu until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the tofu to a warm plate and set aside.

Drain all but a little bit of the oil, add the butter and mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms until golden brown around the edges and they begin to release their juices, about 3-5 minutes.

Add the Marsala wine, and scrape loose with a wooden spoon all browning residues on the bottom and sides of the pan. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, approximately 5 minutes.

Place the tofu back in the pan and cook until heated through. Transfer the tofu to warm serving plates, pour sauce over them, squeeze a little fresh lemon, garnish with parsley and serve.