BBQ "Chicken" Seitan

Here is an intro on Seitan, stolen from About.com:

Definition: Although it is made from wheat, seitan has little in common with flour or bread. Also called “wheat meat”, “wheat gluten” or simply “gluten”, seitan becomes surprisingly similar to the look and texture of meat when cooked, making it a popular meat substitute. Asian restaurants often use seitan as a mock meat, and seitan is also the base for several commercially available products such as Tofurky deli slices.

Seitan can be prepared by hand using either whole wheat flour or vital wheat gluten and is made by rinsing away the starch in the wheat, leaving a high-protein gluten behind. Although not as common as tofu, seitan is quickly gaining popularity, particularly in vegetarian restaurants, due to its ability to take on the texture and flavor of meat. Prepared seitan can be found in the refrigerated section of most health food stores.

Now for the recipe!

Serves 4 to 8

Seitan
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
6 cups vegetable broth for cooking
BBQ "Chicken"
1 batch prepared seitan
1 white onion, sliced
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup shredded cheese
Choice of bread, sourdough pictured

1. Combine flour and dry spices in a mixing bowl. In separate bowl, combine soy sauce and 3/4 cup broth.
2. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients and mix, by hand until the mixture resembles bread dough.
3. Knead the mixture 10 to 20 times and then let rest for 5 minutes.
4. Pull the flour mixture in to roughly 1 inch by 1 inch pieces and drop in to the 6 cups of boiling broth.
5. Cover pot and cook for 1 hour or longer. Seitan is done when it is firm and the pieces have expanded.
   
6. Remove seitan from pot and allow to cool.
7. In separate pan, caramelize onion in a little bit of olive oil and butter.
8. Add seitan and BBQ sauce to pan and heat.
   
9. Spoon BBQ seitan on to toasted bread and sprinkle with cheese.
   

Ratatouille

Serves 4 to 6

2 small zucchini
2 small squash
1 small eggplant
1 medium white onion
1 orange/red/yellow bell pepper
2 Roma tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup, rough chop, flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
salt/pepper to taste

1. Prepare vegetables: Cut the zucchini and squash in half lengthwise, and then again in half lengthwise. Cut those spears in to 1 inch long pieces. Cut the eggplant in round slices about 1/2 inch wide. Cut the onion in to 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch slices. Remove the cores and seeds from the bell pepper and cut in to 1 inch by 1 inch chunks. Peel and seed the tomatoes and cut in to large dice.
2. Sauté the zucchini and squash in a little bit of olive oil until its half cooked. Remove from pan.
3. Sauté the eggplant in olive oil until its half cooked. Remove from pan.
4. Sauté the pepper,onion and tomato together until half cooked. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
5. Combine all vegetables in the pan and add parsley, tomato paste, bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste. Incorporate all ingredients and transfer to a casserole dish.
6. Cover dish and bake at 325° for 30 to 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
7. Serve as a side dish or with as an entrée with cous cous or risotto.
   

Fruit platter

Here is a fruit platter that me and a friend did in our Garde Manger
class.
-- Christopher

Welcome to my food blog!