Venus Rising

Food for SoulIssue: Aquarius 09 - The Change Issue

Yes Seitan!

At home, seitan preparation can be simple as ready-made ground beef substitute for use in tacos or spaghetti sauce, or prepared “beef” strips for stir fry or fajitas. Your mock dishes can also be as inventive as your imagination will allow. Sliced, boiled, and smothered in mushroom gravy it will make a delicious stroganoff. Or, give sculpture a whirl and shape your specially flavored “seitan” into a duck breast, a steak, or pork tenderloin. In any case, you’ll be feeding your body with something highly nutritional. Unlike tofu, seitan has a uniquely meat-like texture, and may just change the way you view alternative meat.

Mock Stroganoff with Wheat Gluten

For the Wheat Gluten

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups vital wheat gluten flour

1 tsp. dried tarragon

½ tsp. onion powder

½ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

Wet Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup mushroom or vegetable broth

2 Tbsp. low-salt tamari sauce

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. olive oil

Broth:

4 cups broth of choice, (mushroom, vegetable, or beef)

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 sprig of rosemary

Mix dry ingredients together. Whisk together wet ingredients and add to flour mixture. Mix thoroughly with a fork. When it is fully combined, form into a ball and knead until the dough becomes elastic, about 5 minutes. Let rest 2-3 minutes. Knead again about 10 times. Let rest again, 5-10 minutes.

Roughly shape dough into a 1 ½ to 2 inch log. Cut gluten into ½ inch slices. In a large pot, add the gluten pieces to the broth mixture and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the Stroganoff

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

Prepared wheat gluten, above

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 portabella mushroom, chopped fine

2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 Tbsp. red wine

3 Tbsp. of the remaining cooking broth from the wheat gluten, or broth of your choice

1 Tbsp. flour

1 Tbsp. butter, optional

¼ cup sour cream or crème fraîche, optional

Salt and black pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion and wheat gluten slices and sauté until onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms release their liquid. Add wine and combine. In a separate bowl, combine cooking broth with flour and blend well. Bring mushroom and wheat gluten mix to a simmer and gradually stir in flour and broth mixture. Simmer and stir until the stroganoff thickens. Add butter, if using, and mix well. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream or crème fraîche, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with egg noodles or fettuccine.