For the love of Seitan

Last week I was on a project at work where I had to research cinnamon rolls. After viewing millions of photos of these delicious buns, I just had to make them this weekend. Also, it was my first wedding anniversary and I wanted to make my husband something special. Anyway. So I found me a good looking cinnamon roll recipe, but I had to change it to be vegan. The good news? It turned out. Fantastically. These puff up big and chewy like traditional cinnamon rolls and taste rich, decadent and simply delicious. They are not by any means low-fat or healthy. But, they are tasty and easy to make (though quite time consuming – expect the entire process from start to finish to take around 3 or 3.5 hours).

Ingredients:

1-1/2 packages (about 3-1/4 teaspoons) dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain soy milk (hazelnut milk would be a wonderful substitution)
4 to 5 cups sifted flour
melted Earth Balance “butter”
brown sugar
cinnamon
(optional) toasted hazelnuts, chopped finely
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
soy milk (2 to 4 tablespoons)

Method:

1.Add the warm water to the yeast and soak 10 minutes.

2. Mix the flax seed with water, whisk vigourously for 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture gets thick like egg whites. Set aside.

3. Warm the soy milk; pour over the shortening. Add sugar and salt and cool to tepid. Add the dissolved yeast and flax seed mixture. Add 3-4 cups flour, one at a time, beating after each addition. Dough should be soft and elastic yet firm enough to handle. Avoid too much flour

4. Knead on floured board until elastic and smooth. Place dough into well oiled bowl. Cover with a kitchen cloth, and let rise for 1-1/2 hours.

5. Press dough down and divide in half. Roll half of the dough out into a long rectangle. Baste generously with melted “butter”. Layer a generous amount of brown sugar. Sprinkle on cinnamon as desired, and sprinkle on the hazelnuts, if you wish.

6. Make slices lengthwise, about 1″ thick or so. Roll up into a coil (in jelly roll fashion). Place rolls in an 8 or 9 inch round greased cake pan, with one slice in the middle and other slices around it. Press rolls down to even out and fill pan. Cover with a kitchen cloth, and let rise for 1 hour.

7. In a medium bowl, sift sugar, and add “butter” and vanilla. A nice alternative to vanilla would be lemon extract or almond extract! Stir in the soy milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is a thick, barely-able-to-stir consistency.

8. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 15 – 20 minutes, or until the tops just start to brown. Remove immediately from pan by inverting onto a plate and then tip over onto another plate to right the rolls.

9. Spread icing over warm rolls as soon as they are placed on a plate to let the frosting melt and run into the rolls.

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Again, another recipe from the amazing Mushroom Cooking Class hosted by Milennium’s Executive Chef, Eric Tucker. Such a genius. I tested this pate at our weekly wine and cheese event at work, and everyone glowed and praised it’s wonder. It’s rich like a foie gras, but much kinder to everyone. This is not a low-fat dish. It pairs really well with crackers and fruit. I suppose it would pair well with cheese, but I’m not really trying to promote cheese-eating here. Oh, and it’s fantastic with a nice pinot noir or a good quality malbec. I haven’t tried it with white wine, but I think it would need a strong white, as the flavour would overpower a sauvingnon blanc.

Ingredients:

4 shallots, minced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sucanat (I used brown sugar with lovely results)

2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced thin (1 cup crimini and 1 cup yellow chantarelle also worked nicely for me as an alternative)

1 cup black chantarelles, cleaned and minced (I used morels as an alternate, with great success)

1 tablespoon dried candy cap mushrooms, rehydrated in 1/2 cup of boiling water and minced. Save the water!

1 tablespoon fresh minced rosemary (Chef Tucker called for a teaspoon, but I like rosemary. A lot.)

2 teaspoons fresh minced sage

3 tablespoons brandy or bourbon (also, a sweeter non-peaty scotch works great)

1 cup toasted pecans

1.5 cups mushroom stock (or use vegetable stock that is very hot, and put 1-2 tbsp of dried porcini in it)

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

2-3 tablespoons of agar flakes (not powder – the proportions are not interchangeable)

2 tablespoons tamari

2 teaspoons black truffle oil or 1 black peringord truffle (I don’t have truffle oil, so I used porcini oil instead. It was nice, but not as good as using the real truffle)

1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

black pepper and salt to taste

Method:

1. Carmelize the shallot and garlic over medium heat with the sucanat / sugar and olive oil.

2. Add the mushrooms, rosemary and sage. Saute until the mushrooms are wilted, then pour on the brandy / bourbon / scotch and flame. Shake the pan until the flame dies down.

3. Add the pecans, stock, the remaining 1/2 cup of candycap water, vegetable shortening and agar and stir vigorously. Simmer for 15 minutes until the agar is dissolved.

4. Add the tamari, truffle (or truffle oil), nutmeg, salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

5. Pour the mixture into a blender (I use a smoothie blender, not a cuisinart for this step, to get the mixture well pureed). Puree until very smooth.

6. Line a rectangular glass dish with saran wrap, then pour the pate mixture into the dish. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

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I got this recipe when I recently attended Millennium’s Mushroom cooking class. Executive Chef Eric Tucker provided the recipe and instruction, as well as some alternative choices for mushrooms, should the exotic ones be unavailable. This recipe is pretty easy, and next time I make it, I’m going to double or triple the amounts so I can can the mushrooms for future snacking. You can either serve them after a 4-hour marination at room temperature, or store them refrigerated in sterilized canning jars for 2 weeks before they’ll be ready for use. After that, they’re pantry-ready.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup white wine vinegar or rice vinegar (I use the same vinegar one would use for sushi rice: nice and tart, with no seasoning added)

2 cups water

2 bay leaves

5 whole cloves (alternatively, you could use 2 tsp ground cloves, but the effect really isn’t quite as delicate)

Salt as needed

2 cups Clamshell mushrooms, broken into individual shells (or substitute with quartered crimini mushrooms)

2 cups King Trumpet mushrooms, cut into 1/2″ thick scallops (or substitute with sliced oyster mushrooms)

1 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, sliced into thin slivers

4 dried chili arbol (the traditional long chilis are fine, though one or two aji chilis would make a lovely substitution)

1-2 sprigs fresh thyme

4 black peppercorns (I substituted white peppercorns, as I had no black whole peppercorns. It turned out great)

Method:

1. Combine vinegar, water, bay leaves, and cloves in a large saucepan. Chef Tucker mentions to use a non-reactive saucepan, we use a large cast-iron saucepan and find that it does the job swimmingly.

2. Add salt to this mixture, enough to match the salinity of sea water. It’s more than you think.

3. Bring to a boil, add mushrooms and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the mushrooms, discard the liquid. When they are dry, place in a bowl or into sterilized canning jars.

4. Heat the cup of oil in a sauce pan with the garlic, chile, thyme and peppercorns. When the garlic starts to fry, remove from heat and pour the mixture immediately over the mushrooms. Enjoy!

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Now, Kate might not agree with me, but not everything has to be fancy, or take time to cook. Often there isn’t the time, or inclination.

If you are new to vegan food, it’s a good thing to have a few of these ideas on hand: things that can be made in under 30 seconds, as long as the ingredients are around. ["And aren't nasty", Kate reminds me. Perish the thought.].

Take bread, slather with tomato paste, toffuti cream cheese and sprinkle oregano on top. Toast until toasty.

Requires:

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We LOVE spicy indian food in our home. So I was thrilled when my friend Monica pointed me to this recipe for chana masala. I’ve made a few minor changes but for the most part, it’s dead-nuts-on. The flavors are very rich and plentiful and the dish is quite spicy, so if you can’t take the heat you might want to reduce the amount of cayenne pepper to 1/4 tsp or less. Me, I add one or two serrano chilis (diced) to the onion mixture to give it some oomph. It’s totally worth it.

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, cut in half then sliced very thin
• Olive oil
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp garam masala
• seeds from 3 cardamom pods, crushed (break open the pods with a mortar and pestle, separate the seeds and crush)
• 28 oz canned tomatoes
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 15oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro
• 1-2 tsp cayenne pepper
• (optional) 1-2 serrano chiles, diced

The Method:

1. Over medium heat, saute onions in olive oil until charred. Reduce heat to low, add garlic (and serranos) and a bit more oil. Add cumin, coriander, ginger, garam masala and cardamom seeds. Fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Add 1/4 cup of water, stir to scrape up bits, cook until water has evaporated.

3. Pour in juice from canned tomatoes, then the tomatoes. Add salt to taste.

4. Raise heat to medium, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, then add cilantro and cayenne pepper, simmer until sauce thickents. Add chickpeas, stir for about 5 minutes.

5. Add 2 tbsp water, cook until absorbed. Repeat a couple of times. Serve and garnish with fresh cilantro. Enjoy!

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I had a monster craving for shepherd’s pie the other day, but I also had an equally large craving for a really rich and comfort-food filled french stew. So I combined these two thoughts together to create Tarte du Berger, or Pie of Shepherds, in french. It’s filled with lovely root vegetables, leek-mashed potatoes and best of all, cognac-flamed seitan! This dish is sure to impress with not only the delicious tastes, but also the preparing of the meal itself. Warning: this recipe requires flame. Big flame.
Ingredients:

• 7-8 small Yukon Gold potatoes, diced (Russets would be fine as well, though less rich)
• 3 tbsp Earth Balance non-dairy butter
• 1/2 cup soy milk, unflavored
• 2 leeks, sliced to the dark green part, then halved
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 3 cups minced seitan
• 1/4 cup cognac (a sweet scotch like Macallan’s will do in a pinch)
• 3 tbsp Earth Balance non-dairy butter
• 1 yellow onion, quartered and sliced
• 2 parsnips, diced
• 8 fingerling carrots, diced (or two regular carrots, diced)
• 8 button mushrooms, quartered (porcini are great, but expensive and occasionally uncommon)
• 3/4 cup red zinfandel
• 3 tbsp Earth Balance non-dairy butter
• 1/2 cup unbleached white flour
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock (mushroom stock is really nice for this)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

The Method:

1. Boil potatoes. Carmelize leeks by putting them in a saucepan with the dry sherry, bring to a boil, then turn heat down to medium / low and let the liquid cook off. Drain the potatoes and put them back in their pot with the leeks. Mash with 3 tbsp “butter” and slowly add soy milk until the potatoes are to your preferred consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste, set aside.

2. Saute seitan in 3 tbsp butter until brown (you want it a bit crispy). With a long lighter in one hand and the 1/4 cup cognac in the other, pour the cognac onto the seitan and light the seitan. Lift the pan above the burner and jiggle it a bit to reduce the flame down. Be careful! The flame will go down in time. Remove seitan from pan once flame is out, but keep the juices in the pan. Set seitan aside.

3. In the “juiced” pan, saute the onion (add “butter” if you need to) until just starting to brown. Add parsnip and carrots, cook until vegetables have a brown crisp to them. Add “butter” as necessary to keep them from sticking to the pan. Add mushrooms, cook for 5 more minutes. Remove veggies from pan and set aside, but keep the drippings in the pan.

4. Put heat to low. In a small bowl, whisk flour with 3/4 cup stock until a roux is made. Slowly add to the pan, whisking the entire time. Add the remaining stock, slowly. Add the zinfandel slowly, mix well. Add the vegetables and seitan, mix well. Cook at a rolling boil until the sauce reduces to a thick gravy. You may need to make subsequent rouxes (rouxs?) and add them to the stew. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. In a large baking dish, layer first the seitan stew, then top with the mashed leek potatoes. Bake at 400 degrees in the oven, until the potatoes are browned on top. Enjoy!

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I love eggplant. I didn’t always love it. I used to find it bitter and rubbery, but now, thanks to my father-in-law, I know to sweat the eggplant first to remove the bitterness and make the eggplant nice and soft. The red sauce is my own invention; I first tasted something like it at a very non-vegan italian restaurant, and it took a few tries to realize that the key to the sauce was the roasted garlic. It seems like a lot of garlic, but when you roast it, the garlic gets sweeter and more mild than raw garlic.

Ingredients:

• 2 heads of garlic
• olive oil
• 2 cups polenta
• 8 cups water
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1-2 serrano chiles, diced
• 2 cans diced tomatos
• 2 cans tomato paste
• oregano and basil to taste
• 2 chinese eggplants OR 1 italian eggplant, sliced 1/4″ thick pieces
• 1 pkg smoked tempeh (I use the “Fakin Bacon” Smoked Tempeh)
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced

The Method:

1. Sweat the eggplant by sprinkling sea salt on slices and laying them to rest in a slightly tipped pan or plate. This removes the bitterness. Leave on for about 20-30 minutes, rinse and set aside.

2. Slice tops off garlic heads (do not peel them!), place in a baking dish and drizzle olive oil on them. Cover the baking dish with tin foil and braise at 350 degrees in the oven until the cloves pop out of the peel and turn a lovely golden hue. Remove cloves from the husk, shred and mash them with two forks in a dish, set aside.

3. Boil water with salt. Whisk in polenta slowly. Bring heat to low. Add oregano, about a tablespoon. Continue whisking for 5 minutes. Cook on low for 10-15 minutes until the polenta pulls away from the sides. Pour half the polenta into an 8 x 10″ pan, and half into your baking dish (8 x 10″ x 2-3″ tall). The polenta should be about 1/2 to 3/4″ thick. Set aside to cool.

4. Heat olive oil in skillet, add serranos and cook on high until they brown. Add tomatoes and tomato paste, mix well. Add basil, about a tablespoon and mix well. Add garlic mash, mix well, cook all for about 10 minutes on medium – low heat.

5. Saute onion until brown (in olive oil). Add tempeh, crumbled, and mix well. Cook for 5-10 minutes, set aside.

6. Layer some eggplant on the polenta in your primary baking dish (the deep one). On top of this, layer the tempeh, all of it. Spread about half the tomato sauce mixture on the tempeh/eggplant/polenta layers. Top this with the other layer of polenta (carefully), then layer the rest of the eggplant and sauce.

7. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, then bake at 400 degrees in the oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Enjoy!

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Peet’s coffee has vegan cookies. Excellent!

Reveiw forthcoming.

[EDIT: Very good. And thanks for pointing out the widthenization. I'm going to have to speak to my droid about that.]

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Our friend Joannie didn’t know what to feed ‘the vegans’, so she threw these in a little olive oil, and added a dash of Soy sauce.

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Without further ado, I think it behooves me to post the simplest, easiest recipe for seitan.

Here’s all you really need to know:

Mix wheat gluten with equal parts water, kneed for 10 minutes, boil for an hour. Voila, Seitan.

Let me expand on that a bit, though.

• 1 cup wheat gluten
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of basil
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of savory (You can subsitute your own spices, or go without, if you don’t see the need)
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce (Also optional)
• 1 cup water or vegetable broth (to make the dough)
• 5-7 additional cups of vegetable both (or water) to boil the Seitan in. You could make a stew instead, if you like.

1. Mix the wheat gluten and the spices while dry. If you dump them in with the water, they won’t mix thoroughly.

2. Add a cup of vegetable broth or water.

3. Kneed for 10 minutes or so. This is going to be harder than kneeding bread. Insufficient kneeding results in subpar Seitan.

If you have a bread machine or standalone mixer, I strongly recomend using it. If you are going to be doing this often (we make Seitan about once a week), I would recomend obtaining one. It doesn’t have to be fancy (or even fully functioning – after all, you are just going to be using it to kneed the dough.

4. Bring the rest of the water or vegetable broth to a boil.

5. Break the seitan into small chunks. Keep in mind it’s going to triple or quadruple in size once it absorbs the water. We usually dice it up with a knife before pulling it apart – it’s easier that way.

6. Plop the seitan chunks into the boiling pot. Let simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.

You’ll want to watch the pot. As the Seitan expands, it will also start to float, which can result in the top being popped off.

Then end result, if you flavour with basil and savory, tastes just like fake turkey slices, though the texture is much softer and gooier: good in it’s own way. To make firmer seitan requires a few other tricks, we will divulge shortly.

There you have it. You can find wheat gluten in any store, though it’s usually sold in small, not very cost-effective bags, which are certainly fine for a first attempt. However, as I posted before, we’ve graduated to 50lbs bags we purchased online, and the finished seitan costs about 75 cents a pound, which I believe is about as cheap as protein can get, not to mention delicious protein.. Wheat gluten also keeps forever as long as it remains dry: I had some that was kept cool and dry for over 5 years, a few months ago: it was indistinguishable from the fresh bag we just bought.

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