Poor Man's Chicken Parmesan II

I had cornflakes in the cupboard, fresh rosemary sprigs and (formerly fresh) dried basil leaves and definitely-not-fresh McCormick thyme leaves, and above all a desire to try this recipe again. It's good timing for a chickenless Chicken Parmesan . . . so far as I know, slabs of extra firm tofu aren't susceptible to avian flu.


I did the following insteads tonight: Instead of buttermilk I used 1 cup of milk with 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. But I have a problem getting the cornflakes to stick uniformly and I'm wondering if trying yogurt or sour cream to thicken the mixture next time might help. Also, I mixed 1 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese in with the milk, and sprinkled a little more on the slabs before coating them in cornflakes. Also also, I added some diced onions and green peppers to the marinara sauce, because I had some leftover in the fridge.

Poor Man's Chicken Parmesan

one 350g package extra firm tofu
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
3 cups cornflakes
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
marinara sauce
grated Parmesan cheese


Directions

1. Cut tofu into 1/2-inch thick slabs across the short side of the tofu block and set aside.

2. In a shallow bowl, combine buttermilk and herbs; add the tofu and turn it to coat well.

3. Let stand 20 minutes in mixture.

4. Meanwhile, crush the cornflakes, mix in salt and cayenne and pour into a flat, wide dish.

5. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and coat tofu slabs in the cornflake mixture, making sure to press the cornflakes gently into the tofu to cover.

6. Place the coated tofu slabs in the heated pan and allow them to cook for 4 minutes until golden brown.

7. Turn the tofu and cook on the other side 3 minutes, or until golden brown.

8. Coat crusted tofu with marina sauce, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Serves 2.