Tofu Piccata with Escarole and Roasted Parsnips

At the restaurant I work at, Cafe Blossom, we have this dish Seitan Piccata, that I just adore.  Whenever I manage I almost always order it.  Truth be told, I'm not a huge seitan fan, though I do enjoy it time to time, the real winner of this dish, to me, is the sauce.  Give me anything lemon, white wine, and capers and I am sold!  The other night I decided to do a little piccata myself, but with my more preferred protein: tofu.

Ingredients:
1 14oz block of extra firm tofu
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon of olive oil
1/4 cup of white wine (I just use a cooking white wine)
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of capers
1/2 tablespoon of corn starch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut Tofu in slices 3 inches wide and 1 inch thick.  You should get about 8 pieces of tofu from the block.  Spray large sauce pan with non-stick spray and pan sear tofu on medium heat for 5 minutes on each side until both sides are golden brown.  Set aside and keep warm.  In same pan add olive oil and shallots to pan and cook for a few minutes until shallots become translucent.  Add garlic and cook for one more minute.  Add white wine, lemon juice, and capers to pan and cook for a few minutes to allow white wine to cook down.  Add cornstarch-water mixture and continue to cook until the sauce thickens slightly.  Return tofu to pan and coat sauce all over tofu.  Lower heat and cook for about five more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I served these with some steamed escarole and simple roasted parsnips (chopped parsnips, salt, pepper, rosemary and a light drizzle of olive oil roasted for 30 minutes at 425). Enjoy!