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.

Un-Chicken in the City

Lately I've been craving comfort food - those things I ate from childhood that now that I'm vegetarian just aren't going to fly. When I was growing up we used to eat this wildly weird thing called city chicken. It was pork - on a stick, breaded, then either baked or fried (my mother was a fan of frying). Why was it called chicken? I have no idea. But I remember loving it.

So yesterday I decided the craving was strong enough for me to come up with a vegetarian alternative. I made my own seitan (you don't have to - just buy your favorite) and the result is this:

City Un-Chicken
Up to 1 lb of seitan (or a package of your favorite brand), cubed
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbl. turkey rub (if it's against your sensibilities to buy this, just mix up a combination of paprika, sage, thyme, garlic salt, pepper. rosemary, and onion powder)
salt and pepper to taste
Egg replacer for dipping
Wooden skewers
Olive oil for frying

In a shallow dish, mix up your egg replacer. On a dinner plate, mix together the dry ingredient. Thread seitan cubes onto wooden skewers. Roll them first into the egg replacer, then into the flour mixture. In a large skillet, fry them in a scant amount of olive oil (don't use canola - it just stinks something awful) or spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Fry until seitan is brown, turning until all sides are cooked, about four minutes each.

Seitan-ic Versus Tempeh

Couldn't resist the play on words. :)

I wanted cheese un-steaks last night. Badly. Alas, no seitan in the house and I wasn't tempted to drive 6 miles to get it. I had tempeh, but since I hate it, I refused to use it. So I hauled out the recipe books and pulled together a pretty decent substitute that was both tasty and easy to make. The fine ladies who have published Veganomicon, probably the best vegan cookbook imaginable, are to be thanked for the basis of the recipe. I tweaked to suit.

Seitan
1 cup plus up to 1/4 cup more wheat gluten (I buy Bob's Red Mill, available at my local supermarket)
3 Tbls. nutritional yeast
1 Tbl. dried sage
1 tsp. dried thyme (the fresher the better)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup tamari
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 Tbl. olive oil

Mix dry ingredients (including spices) together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Pour wet into dry, mixing until it's absorbed. Pick this up and knead it in your hands until it becomes like bread dough. If you need more flour, add a bit more wheat gluten. Break apart into pieces.

Prepare a large saucepan with about 6 cups of water and 2 Tbls. Better Than Bullion (or use 2 bullion cubes or half water, half vegetable broth). Bring it to just about a boil, then reduce heat and partially cover for about an hour, turning the seitan hunks. After an hour, turn off heat and use a slotted spoon to remove seitan from the liquid. Drain until cool, then cut as you need it. I freeze some for later use. For a more meatlike flavor and texture, flash fry seitan in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray for 4 minutes on each side. You can freeze this, too.

Cheese Steak Withdrawal

I live in the land of cheese steaks. Mind you, I went veggie way too early, for I have never had either a Pat's or a Geno's authentic Philly cheese steak (shame on me). But thanks to some wonderful contributor on Vegweb.com, I now have what could be a rival to the best - a veggie version and one that pleases even my meat-eating kids.

Again, I've adapted this to fit with our tastes.

Seitan Cheese Steaks

1 container of Ray's Wheat Meat (I get this at Whole Foods)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
cheese slices (I use provolone, but you can use vegan cheese if you prefer)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
steak rolls

Cut seitan into strips or other small chunks per your own preference. Put into covered bowl with broth and soy sauce. Let it marinate while you saute the vegetables.

Saute vegetables until soft. Set aside. Add seitan to skillet and brown. Add the marinade to the skillet, reducing it until it's thick. Turn off heat.

Pile seitan into steak rolls and add sauteed veggies and a slice of cheese on top. If you want to melt the cheese, give it a zap in the microwave. Serve with plenty of napkins!