Baked Tofu Sandwich with Arugula Aioli

This is the very first post on Meals; for Moderns that's being tagged 'tofu.' Surprising, no? I must admit that in general, I don't love tofu. But I do really really like baked tofu. If you haven't baked it before, you're in for a treat. It's really unlike other tofu preparations, crusty with a delicate, soft interior. Add your favorite marinade and you're in business. I used, simply, soy sauce for this and supplied the strong flavors with the arugula aioli, but if you wanted to skip the aioli, I'd advise a more flavorful marinade.

Aioli*
1/2 cup mayonaise
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup argula
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the ingredients in a food processor and process until there are no large chunks of garlic remaining.

Tofu
Extra firm tofu
Soy sauce or marinade of your choosing

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the tofu into about 4oz slabs. To remove some of the water from the tofu, place it between tea or paper towels on a cutting board or plate. Cover with another plate, and weight that down with a jar of flour (as I did), cookbooks, or some heavy thing that seems like it won't fall over. Let sit for 10 or so minutes, changing the towels if they become soaked.

Brush all sides of the tofu with soy sauce (or marinade), then place the tofu on a non-stick baking sheet and bake for one hour.

It's done when the sides are crispy.

For the sandwich, I spread the aioli on both slices of toasted bread and topped the tofu with carrots and more arugla. The sandwich was a bit dry -- you might want to load up on the aioli, or add some tomato slices to increase the moisture content.

*Disclaimer: this is semi-homemade, not really aioli at all. If you'd like to make it from scratch, try blending this recipe with the 1/4 cup arugula.