St. Patty’s Seitan

St. Patty’s is a standard meat and potato type holiday filled with green beer and large portions of dead cow and beer filtered with fish bones (Guinness). Here is a recipe to help celebrate the drunken holiday, without the guilt. As for the beer, try imbibing on anything through a nitros tap, and you will have the same creamy head as with Guinness.

Use in corn beef and cabbage, ruebans, etc.

Equipment:
Large ceramic or glass bowl, Smaller bowl for liquid ingredients, Skillet (Cast Iron is best), Large soup pot with lid

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes

1 cup very cold pickling spice “tea”
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated on a microplane grater

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/4 cup pickling spice

For Simmering Broth
10 cups  vegetable broth
1/2 cup soy sauce

Directions

Boil the pickling spice and veggie broth in a large bowl for 30 minutes. Extract 1 cup for the dough and pour through a sieve. Make sure not to let any of the spices into the dough! Place in the freezer briefly until cool, this is your “tea”.

In a large bowl, mix together Vital Wheat Gluten Flour and nutritional yeast flakes.
In a separate bowl, mix together remaining ingredients: water or veg broth, soy sauce. tomato paste, garlic, lemon zest.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine with a firm spatula, knead dough for about 3 minutes until a spongy, elastic dough is formed. Let dough rest for a couple of minutes and prepare your broth, but don’t start boiling it.
Now roll your dough into a log shape about 8 inches long and cut into 3 equal sized pieces. Place the pieces in the broth. It is important that the water/broth be very cold when you add the dough, it helps with the texture and ensures that it doesn’t fall apart. Partially cover the pot (leave a little space for steam to escape) and bring to a boil.

When the water has come to a boil set the heat to low and gently simmer for an hour, turning the peices every now and again.

Now you’ve got gluten. Let it cool in the simmering broth for at least a half an hour. It is best if it cools completely.

What you do next depends on the recipe you are using. If it calls for gluten use it as is. If you want to store some of it for later use put it in a sealible container covered in the simmering broth.

If your recipe calls for seitan cut your pieces up as desired. I prefer to use a cast iron skillet for the frying because it produces the best flavor and texture. Use as little oil as possible to coat the bottom of the skillet, 1 teaspoon may suffice. Heat the skillet over medium high and add your gluten. Cook for about 20 minutes, turning the pieces occasionally. And there you have it. Yummy St. Patty’s seitan.