In the Tofurkey/ Unturkey/ It's-just-crass-and-pointless-to-put-a-big-ol'-hunk-of-food-pretending-to-be-a-dead-turkey-in-the-middle-of-that-nice-table debate, we were always an Unturkey family. So man was I sad to learn that the Unturkey people had gone out of business. In layman's terms, that's like learning that turkeys had been discontinued. With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, what would you do?
You would get yourself cooking is what. My first experiment was with Nonna's soy seitan "turkey." I had high hopes for this "bird" because I am completely devoted to my nonna, but it, and I say this part very quietly, was...a little bland. The texture was great. And I know, I know. What was I expecting? That's the turkey's job right? To be a mildly flavored protein backdrop to the Thansgiving table's zestier vegetable offerings. But still.
It was, however absolutely, flat-out, I-don't-need-no-stinkin'-side-dishes spectacular when prepared in the following manner:
Seitan Roast with Orange Cranberry Glaze
Serves 2
About 1/3 of the roast or 3 large middle slices cut in half (about 1/4 inch thick),
Glaze:
1/2 c. orange juice
1/4 c. cranberry juice
1/4 c. vodka
small piece of ginger (maybe 1/2 to 1 inch hunk), thinly sliced
2 cloves
dash cayenne
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. marge
Whisk together all of the above ingredients for the glaze except the ginger and marge. Set aside.
Melt 1 tablespoon margarine in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Saute the ginger for about a minute until it begins to smells delicious.
Add the seitan to the pan to lightly brown on each side. Pour the juice mixture over the seitan and simmer until it is reduced by a bit more than half. It should have a fairly syrupy consistency by now.* At this point remove the seitan from the pan. Stir the remaining tablespoon of marge into the pan juices to make a rich sauce. Pour into a small bowl or pitcher to serve with the seitan. Turn the heat up to medium-high and return the seitan to the pan. Briefly sear the seitan on each side before serving drizzled with the sauce.
*The second time I made this (yesterday's photo) I let it simmer too long. The sauce almost completely dried up, and we were left with a sticky, delicious, glazed roast that didn't miss the added sauce at all. If you let it go past the syrupy consistency, then you won't have enough of the pan juices left to emulsify with the marge. In that case, just skip that step and eat your seitan. Either way, it's good, but I included the first draft photo today so that you could see how I originally intended this dish.
