Tofu or Seitan Marengo with Lemon Polenta

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This recipe was adapted from a Cuisine Magazine recipe I got years ago. It is always a crowd pleaser, and tastes like you spent hours making it. In reality, its actually fairly quick! The original recipe used chicken and bacon. The liquid smoke in this recipe replaces the bacon helps give the dish that extra layer of smoke, while using either tofu or seitan works great as a protein substitute. It is common to also serve Marengo with eggs or rice.  You could easy substitute the polenta for tofu scramble or rice.

INGREDIENTS:

Marengo

  • 1/2 batch of seitan or 1 block of extra firm tofu
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup organic corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
  • 2 cups sliced yellow onions
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons of tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable Better Than Bouillon
  • 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Lemon Polenta

  • 2 cups almond or coconut milk (unsweetened)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2  cup corn meal
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • pepper to taste
  • 2 - 3 teaspoons lemon zest

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Cube seitan or tofu into 1 inch cubes. If using tofu, wrap in some paper towels and place some books on top for 15 minutes to remove excess liquid.
  2. Mix flour and starch in a bowl and toss in tofu or seitan until fully coated.
  3. Heat a half inch of oil in a large deep pan or dutch oven, and fry seitan or tofu on each side until begins to brown and is super crispy.
  4. Remove from pan and place on a paper-towel-lined plate to remove excess oil.
  5. Add sliced onions and salt to the  same pot you just used to cook the tofu or seitan, and cook in the same oil for 2 - 3 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, parsley and wine and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  6. Whisk water and Better Than Bouillon together (you could use vegetable broth as well if you do not have better than bouillon) add it, tomatoes in the juice, liquid smoke, olives, and tomato paste to the pot.
  7. Let the merango simmer for 5 minutes, stirring a few times to make sure it's not sticking to the bottom.  
  8. Now add back in the seitan or tofu and let simmer for another 10 minutes, again giving it a few stirs. The starch from the seitan or tofu will help the stew thicken.
  9. Serve on top of lemon polenta and garnish with lemon zest.

Lemon Polenta

  1. In a medium pot add milk, water, and corn meal, salt and garlic and whisk until combined.
  2. Cook on medium/low heat until the polenta begins to thicken, about 10 - 15 minutes.
  3. Once it has thickened, stir in the lemon zest and serve, topping the polenta with the Marengo