Tofu Milanese
Updated Oct. 12, 2023
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 mintues
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Salt and black pepper
- 1(14-ounce) package firm tofu
- ½cup all-purpose flour
- 1egg
- ½cup whole milk
- 2cups dried bread crumbs, panko or homemade
- ¼cup chopped parsley
- 1tablespoon roughly chopped drained capers
- 1lemon
- 1bunch broccoli rabe (about 1 pound)
- 1¼cups olive oil
- 1garlic clove, minced
- Pinch of red-pepper flakes
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
972 calories; 80 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 52 grams monounsaturated fat; 13 grams polyunsaturated fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 28 grams protein; 921 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Drain the liquid from the tofu and cut crosswise into 8 rectangular cutlets. Pat dry and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Step 2
Put flour on a plate. Beat together egg and milk in a shallow medium bowl. Sprinkle bread crumbs on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Step 3
Working one at a time, dip a slice of tofu in the flour, lightly coating all sides. Place in the bowl with egg mixture. Lift slice from egg mixture and set on crumbs in a single layer. Shower the top layer with crumbs and flip to coat well. Repeat with remaining slices. If not using right away, refrigerate, uncovered for up to 4 hours, until ready to cook.
- Step 4
To a small bowl, add parsley and capers, and zest the lemon over. Mix together, and set aside mixture, reserving the rest of the lemon.
- Step 5
Add broccoli rabe to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Drain and cool.
- Step 6
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and red pepper; let sizzle without browning, about 15 to 30 seconds. Add broccoli rabe and stir to coat. Cook, tossing often, for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened. Pile on a platter.
- Step 7
To cook cutlets, wipe out the skillet and, in the same pan, heat ½ inch olive oil (about 1 cup) over medium-high. When oil is wavy, cook the breaded tofu cutlets in 2 batches without crowding until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm.
- Step 8
To serve, surround the broccoli rabe with tofu cutlets. Stir 2 tablespoons olive oil to parsley-caper mixture. Spoon some onto each cutlet. Slice the lemon into wedges, and serve alongside the cutlet.
Private Notes
Comments
Funny, I'm making almost this same recipe for dinner tonight, with a few modifications. In order to keep it as healthy as possible, I bread the tofu with almond flour instead of wheat flour. Also, though I love fried cutlets, standing over the stove is laborious, so I bake them in the oven at 400, 20 minutes a side. I put olive oil on the baking tray so they get crispy.
"When oil is wavy" is a good description for olive oil, but be careful to keep it there -- you may need to turn down the flame to keep olive oil from smoking/burning. "Medium high" is too high for olive oil on many stoves (including mine). Frying in olive oil take a bit more attention than high-heat oils such as canola, because is can taste burned very quickly. Sometimes I will fry with canola and THEN drizzle with olive oil to get that flavor with less fuss or risk (while multitasking).
Nami from Just One Cookbook uses a great technique: She mixes panko with some oil and toasts them in a pan on the stove. Then she breads the cutlets as you would (flour, egg, breadcrumbs), then bakes them on a rack, which has been placed on a baking sheet. It works really great with pressed tofu. Another JOC tip: she mixes a half teaspoon of oil into the egg - it makes the egg stick better to the meat / tofu. Google Just One Cookbook Katsu Sando
I loved this recipe for the lovely texture of the tofu, fried with breadcrumbs. Next time I’d like to brine or flavour the tofu somehow before I coat and fry it.
This is such a great recipe and alternative to meat based Milanese! So simple and easy, and turned out delicious!! My three year old son and husband both loved it. Highly recommend seasoning the tofu with salt and pepper adequately (don’t be shy) otherwise the flavor may come out bland. And I used a mix of panko and regular homemade breadcrumbs… the panko really adds that perfect crunch. Perfect weeknight dish!
I’ve found this recipe for cooking tofu to be a tremendous hit with kids. The breading process is wonderfully messy, they like to crumble their favorite potato chips to add to the panko.