seitan n kraut

So my husband, being from a small town in Pa’s Lehigh Valley, is a big fan of many traditional Pa Dutch dishes. I guess one of their big ones is pork and sauerkraut for New Year’s Day. He has been vegetarian, and now vegan, for 6 years, so has obviously not had this favorite dish in many years. Being the main cook in the house and and not from a Pa Dutch area, this was never an issue, but my husband talk about it all the time. This year we decided to try to replicate this dish in the vegan format. As a base I used Sarah Kramer’s recipe for seitan ham, which I think actually tastes quite a bit more like pork than ham. It starts with making the basic seitan recipe of one half cup each of wheat gluten flour and water. Mix the dough and knead for 5 minutes. I cut the seitan into very small pieces to replicate the fall-appart-iness of real pork. For the broth mix 2 cups water, 1/4 cup tamari, 2 tsp vegan worcestershire, 1 tsp liquid smoke, 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp oregano, 2 tsp mustard seed and 1/4 tsp sage. This is Sarah Kramer’s seitan ham recipe. Bring the broth to a boil in a stock pot, then add the seitan. Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour, but stir every ten minutes. You know the seitan is ready when the broth is almost completely evaporated. At this point add the sauerkraut. I added a little less than a bag, but add what you think looks best. Next I simmered uncovered for about 30 minutes. I would say that on it’s own it can serve about 2 or three, so you might want to double, triple or otherwise multiply the recipe, depending on how many guests you are serving. You can also include applesauce, halushki or something involving hot fakin dressing. You could probably strech it a little further, but this recipe is good as it is, so expect to to serve plenty of seconds!

saurkraut pierogies

I know I post alot about cabbage, but I can’t help it, I love it. So here goes:

Ingredients:
Dough:
Flour(1 cup per 6)
Olive oil
Water
Salt(1/4 tsp per 6)

Filling:
1 lg russet or 2 small whatever potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
2 oz. sauerkraut (recipe for fresh kraut in earlier post)

Method:
Mix salt and flour together. Mix in a little water, then splash in a little oil. Add enough more water to make dough. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch. Cut rounds out with a glass(I used a pint.)
Dice and then boil potatoes for 20 min. Mash with the sauerkraut, 1 1/2 tbps each caraway seed and dill seed. Scoop some filling into each round, then fold those in half and seal with a fork. Saute in about 2 or 3 tbsp olive oil, flipping often, until browned on both sides. In the mean time, super carmelize 1/2 an onion in olive oil. Combine and serve.

Or, alternately, instead of sauteing, deep fry the prepared pierogies until golden brown (as pictured above).

Saurkraut

This is my recipe for sauerkraut:

Cabbage
Kosher Salt(a little over a tablespoon and a half per head)
Cold water
Quart mason jars(about 2 per head)

Making sauerkraut is so, so much fun, since it goes against all that is good and right compared to other types of food preparation. The first this you need to do is shred up all of the cabbage. Though many are proponents of using your food processor or box grater, I prefer a nice, sharp chef’s knife. I feel that a box grater is too frustrating and you can’t use the whole head. The processor, on the other hand makes it look, well, to processed. This is sauerkraut. I needs to be rustic, not fussy. Anyway, but the cabbage in a few bowls, or whatever. I use about 2 quart ones per head. Figure out how much salt you need, then divide that among the bowls. Stir well. Let that sit until it looks reduced(maybe 30 min to 1 hr). Next, pack as much as you can of the cabbage into the quarts and fill to about 2 inches from the top with cold water, screw on the lids, put on a cookie sheet or tray and wait 2 months for the krauting to occur. Check every once in a while to see if it needs more water (it should be covered at all times with water). After that, you can re-can in your desired size jar. I like to use a variety of sizes for different purposes. To can, you need to start my boiling the jars and lids for 30 minutes. Then fill the jars about 1 inch from the top, wipe the rim and apply the lid and band. Next, boil the filled jars for another 30 minutes. Pull out the jars, and when you hear a pop, the are sealed.

Happy sauerkrauting.