February 23, 2013
Corned Seitan and Cabbage
February 23, 2013When someone invites you over their house for St. Patrick's Day dinner, you can be pretty sure they're going to feed you corned bee...
When someone invites you over their house for St. Patrick's Day dinner, you can be pretty sure they're going to feed you corned beef and cabbage. My dad always made corned beef for St. Patrick's Day, and if you've never had it, it's a salty, briny, beef that you boil for a long time. I think. Anyways, it has been quite a while since I've eaten it, and thought if I conjured up my vegan powers and consulted my inner leprechaun I might be able to create a vegan version. The result, corned seitan. And it is just that-- Corned Seitan. It isn't claiming to be beef, so don't feed it to your uncle, Patrick O'Hoolihan and expect that he not be able to discern a difference between the two. The texture is that of seitan, but the flavors are pretty recognizable. I am pretty pleased!
Cabbage is a controversial side dish. It always makes the table, but just seems to get passed around and no one ever puts any on their plate. I love cabbage, personally, and think if I braise it long enough and cover it in enough beer, I might convince skeptics to eat some. A healthy dose of caramelized onions mixed in couldn't hurt my odds either.
So after making all this, I'm thinking you might have some leftovers. Tradition says, make a sandwich! Get some marble rye, of course, and spread each side with spicy mustard and cram all your leftovers in between. Leftover sandwiches are way-awesome.
Corned Seitan
2 cups Vital Wheat Gluten
2/3 cup nooch
1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground aniseed
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1-2 teaspoons tomato paste
4-5 dashes vegan worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup stout beer
In a large mixing bowl, mix together wheat gluten, nooch, caraway seeds, thyme, coriander, dry mustard, aniseed, sage, onion powder and garlic powder.
In a large liquid measuring cup, mix together the vegetable broth, soy sauce, brown mustard, vinegar, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce and stout.
Make a well in the middle of the bowl with the gluten mixture and pour in the vegetable broth mixture. Using a fork, slowly incorporate the wheat gluten mixture into the wet ingredients by swirling the fork in a circular motion, grabbing a little more of the dry mixture and swirling it into the wet, until the mixture is combined.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Begin to knead the mixture with you hands, going in the same direction and using the same repeated motion. Knead for about 5 minutes, then divide the mixture into 4 pieces.
Tear 4 sheets of foil, each about 12". Lay the foil out flat on a workspace, and add 1/4 of the dough, smushing it into a flat cutlet-like shape. Bring the 2 top and the bottom sides together and roll, so that the cutlet is enclosed, twist the ends to secure the packet. Repeat with remaining 3 cutlets.
Place the sealed packets directly on the oven racks in the middle of the oven. Let bake for about 45 minutes, or until seitan feels firm when poked. Remove from oven and let packets cool before refrigerating, or using.
To assemble, shred the seitan with your fingers for an authentic look. Sear the shreds of seitan in a cast-iron pan with some olive oil over medium-high heat until light brown and slightly crispy. Serve warm.
Beer Braised Cabbage with Caramelized Onions
1/2 head savoy cabbage, shredded
1 bottle beer, preferably ale-style
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 large sweet onions, sliced in full rounds
2 teaspoons sugar
In a 4 quart pot, add shredded cabbage, beer, broth, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper.
Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Simmer for about 1 hour, until most of the liquid is gone and cabbage is very tender.
Meanwhile, place onions in a large skillet with the remaining teaspoon of salt and sugar. Turn heat on to medium low and keep covered. Stir occasionally, keeping covered, and cook for about 1 hour, until onions are very soft and golden.
Once cabbage is ready, add caramelized onions to the pan and stir to combine.
Serve warm.
