The Thing To Do With Seitan

Sometimes, you just want seitan.

It's a cold night here in the east, so I wanted to make seitan.

I don't know about you, but sometimes a good seitan recipe is tough to come by.

Thankfully, Pinterest offered plenty of options. I found this one, but it wasn't exactly as I'd like it, so I added a few ingredients, subtracted others and -- finally -- had a great baked seitan recipe.

My Seitan Recipe

the dry stuff:
2 c. wheat gluten
2 Tbl. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. dried sage
1/2 tsp. smoked picante paprika (I got it at Williams-Sonoma)
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. black pepper
the wet stuff:
1 1/2 c. cold water
1/2 c. tamari or soy sauce
2 Tbl. tomato paste
1 Tbl. olive oil

Mix the dry stuff in a large bowl. Mix together the wet stuff and pour it into the dry stuff, stirring as you go. Using your hands, knead it in the bowl for about 3 minutes. I like mine wet, and these ingredients make it about the right consistency for me. If you want it drier, add some extra gluten. Wetter, add water. Let it sit while the oven heats. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Once the oven is heated, spread foil on a baking sheet. Line the foil with parchment. Shape your seitan into a loaf (I made mine short and wide), then roll it up, pinching the ends of the foil.

Bake for 60 minutes. As noted in the original recipe, turn it every 15 minutes to make sure it bakes uniformly.


So, I made the steak. Now what?

This is what -- I fried it in a sauté pan (with a white wine sauce, of course), and served it with wheat berries and fresh beets.


Seitan White Wine Sauce

This will make the sauce that you'll cook the seitan in.

1/2 cup white wine (dry stuff, nothing fruity)
1 Tbl. olive oil
Vegetable broth (about 1/2 a cup -- don't add it at once)

Spices to taste (I had no fresh on hand. so these are all dried):

• Smoked paprika (I used about 1/2 tsp)
• Thyme  (maybe 1/4 tsp more or less)
• Rosemary  (as much as you like)
• Parsley    (1/4 tsp more or less)
• Black pepper  (to taste)

Corn starch to thicken (mix about a tsp. in water and use sparingly)

In a saute pan, add olive oil. Heat on medium for about 30 seconds, then slowly add the wine. Place your seitan slices in the pan, then add the spices on top (I flip them so they get mixed into the liquid -- you could add them directly, then put in the seitan).

Cook until seitan is hot through, adding a little vegetable broth as needed. Remove seitan. Add more liquid if you like, then add a little bit of your mixed corn starch. I used maybe 1/2 tsp. as I didn't have a ton of liquid.

Saucy Wench

Since meat is usually looked upon to carry the flavor of a meal, I've been on the lookout for some sauces that wake up the senses a bit. I played around with this particular sauce until I hit on something that worked. Mind you, it's a deep flavor and the day you make it it'll have a bolder flavor than if you refrigerate it and use it later. I recommend trying it both ways. I loved it on Day Two much more than on Day One.

Chocolate Wine Sauce

1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 tsp. fresh rosemary (MUST be fresh - otherwise, it's like tossing in sawdust)
2 cups red wine (I used Three Blind Moose merlot, but any cheap merlot will work)
2 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbl. tomato paste (no added flavors, please)
2 Tbl. cocoa powder
1 chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 stalk chopped celery

Saute the veggies until soft. Add the liquids and tomato paste, bay leaf and thyme. Simmer uncovered until this is reduced to 1/2 c. of liquid. Strain out veggies and add rosemary and cocoa. Serve over something substantial, such as seitan cutlets or chickpea steaks. You can also return the veggies to the sauce and eat them, too!