Seitan and Faux Swiss Cheese

[Guest guest]

greenfury2004 wrote:

> Sheesh, that's true dedication! :=) I hope he realizes all the work

> involved - and that he enjoyed his vegan reubens. And yes yes yes we

> would *love* to have that recipe!!!!

 

Here was here. Here's how it starts:

 

Seitan: Take one bag of flour (any kind really) and add cool water to make

a non-sticky dough. Knead until your arms and back are sore, err... until

the dough quickly bounces back to touch. That'll show that enough gluten

has formed. I've also had pretty good luck using a Kitchenaid stand mixer

to knead the dough, but you'll need to break it into batches. After the

dough is bouncy enough, set in a bowl and cover with cool water. Let stand

for an hour to rest.

 

Now comes the labor intensive stuff. Knead the dough under water until the

water is clear and you are left with a greyish-tan mass of raw gluten. You

will need to change the water very frequently as it will get starchy

quickly. Use cool water. Warm water will make less firm gluten, and too

cold of water will cramp your hands. (The first few batches of starch water

can be used for soups as a thickener.) This will take time and quite a few

water changes. Keep going until water is clear and the gluten is very

spongey and a definite solid mass.

 

Cut this raw gluten into 4-5 chunks. (The type of flour you use determines

how much gluten you actually end up with.) In a stock pot heat 2 quarts of

water and any seasonings and broth you want to use. At it's most basic this

is simply adding a bit of soy sauce. If using in a richer type of dish I

add tomato juice or sauce. I also like garlic, onion and celery. Add the

gluten chunks. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and simmer for about

30 minutes. Let cool. Keep an eye out while simmering as the gluten chunks

will expand. If needed add more water to cover.

 

Now you can marinate the seitan in whatever marinade you want, or you can

store it in the cooking broth.

 

For the ruebens, I cooked the gluten in: 2 quarts water, 1/2 soy sauce, 1/2

apple cider vinegar, black peppercorns, 4 garlic cloves, and a couple chunks

of ginger. Additionally I marinated the cooked seitan in the broth after

slicing it. I added more apple cider vinegar and tamari plus some toasted

seasme seed oil.

 

You'll also need stone ground mustard, sauerkraut, pumpernickle (or rye)

bread, the dressing, and the faux swiss cheese. I'll post more during the

week, so to be continued I guess.

 

Oh, you can also skip all that and just buy seitan or buy vital wheat gluten

and not do nearly as much work. I like knowing exactly what is in my food

though.