Stuffed Tofu Cutlets with Shitake Mushroom Emulsion - Chef Olan Cox, Executive Chef, O'Brien's and Whittaker Woods Golf Community.

Chef Cox enjoys cooking healthy, light and vegetarian dishes and he has created some very tasty recipes in this genre.  Here he has taken the spirit of the macrobiotic diet and created a recipe that is truly delicious and, of course, very nutritious and healthy.  It is free of meat and fat (except for a tiny bit of sesame oil.)

Ingredients:

2  1lb. blocks of extra firm tofu

Filling:
1/4 cup dried shitake mushrooms 
1/4 cup water chestnuts, finely diced
1/4 cup grated carrot
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
2 tsp mirin or sake

Emulsion:
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil (dark)
1/4 cup water from reconstituting mushrooms
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:
1/2 cup now peas, julienned
Black and white sesame seeds
1/2 carrot, peeled and grated 

Cut each tofu block diagonally in half making two triangular pieces.  Place the freshly cut side of the triangle facing you and, using a sharp paring knife, cut out a triangular section from each piece of tofu, leaving about 1/2 inch in the sides of the block.  As an alternative, you can use a melon baller to scoop out the interior of each triangular block.  

Mash the scooped out tofu by pressing it through a sieve or mesh strainer into a mixing bowl.  Add all of the filling ingredients to the bowl and stir until combined completely.  As an alternative you can process these ingredients together in a food processor.

Stuff tofu blocks with the filling and brush the filling and the sides of each block with sesame oil.

Place the stuffed tofu blocks on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan and place in the oven.  Bake for 20-30 minutes until internal temperature is at 150 degrees.

Place the emulsion ingredients into a food processor.  While processing, drizzle in the oil slowly and stop as soon as you have an emulsion.

Drizzle emulsion over the baked tofu cutlets, garnish and serve.  Serves 4.