TURKEY-FREE THANKSGIVING
Mary McCabe • November 24, 2021
Thanksgiving Veggie Way
For years, I have been making seitan a substitute for the all-famous central figure of Thanksgiving - the endearing Mr. Turkey. Seitan is a wheat gluten protein made from whole wheat flour. I grind mine from organic whole Hard Red Spring Wheat ordered from Great River Organic Milling Company. Many cultures throughout the world commonly use seitan or “wheat meat” in place of meat. Every year, I try to hone this dish to its best potential, always learning more ways to improve it, as it can be very time-consuming. The goal in making seitan is to remove the bran and starch, leaving only the gluten, which forms a dough to be used in many ways.
Recipe
- Four cups sifted whole wheat flour
- Two cups of gluten flour
- Four cups spring water
- 1 tsp. Sea salt
- 1-inch piece of Kombu Sea kelp
- Soy Sauce to taste
Since I am using freshly ground grain, the flour has more bran than might be store-bought. I sift the flour first to remove most of the bran and save it for another use.
Preparation
- Combine the already sifted flour, salt, and water in a large mixing bowl.
- Knead the dough for about fifty strokes. Cover the bowl with a damp cotton towel and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes to allow the gluten to develop.
- Pour water to cover the dough at least 2 inches more, then knead again in the bowl, allowing the starch to be released, turning the water to a pale creamy color, like a thin milky consistency. The goal is to retain as much of the starch in the bowl, to use it as a thickening agent.
- Finally, scoop up a handful of dough and rinse it under running water. Set aside each rinsed gluten piece in a strainer to drain. Repeat the process.
There are two ways to continue cooking gluten.
First:
- Fill a large pot ½ to ¾ of water, leaving room for the gluten.
- Add Kombu, bring to a boil, slice the gluten to your preferred shape add each of the gluten pieces.
- Allow the gluten to boil, lower the flame. Cook for about 50 minutes; add soy sauce, simmer gently for 45 minutes.
- Optional, add bay leaves or herbs for flavoring.
Second:
- Lay the gluten flat, pat dry, break, or cut into 2-inch pieces.
- Prepare a pot to deep fry, e.g., cast iron.
- Using a superior quality high heat oil, fill the pot about four inches with the oil. Bring the oil to a temperature on a medium-high flame, drop a kernel of grain to see if it sizzles, the oil is ready.
- Carefully lower the gluten pieces into the oil. Fry until golden brown on each side, puff up, and float. Rinse if you want to remove some of the oil.
- Allow it to drain and cool. It is effortless to slice thin, resembling a sliced turkey, plus there is a crispy edge from frying.
- To just boil without frying, it is difficult to get a desired exact slice; thus, the advantage of frying.
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Ingredients Half cup dried whole barley One cup split pea One inch piece Kombu Two carrots diced Three stalks of celery diced One onion diced Eight cups water (approximately) One bay leaf 1 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt Soy sauce seasoning to taste Thyme, parsley, chives, scallions, parsley, and celery leaves your choice, try all, they make great flavor and nutrients.
Preparation Bring the water and kombu to a slow boil, remove kombu, set aside for later use. Add onions, allow to become transparent, add tofu, when tofu floats to the top, add wakame and mushrooms. Ladle some broth into a cup with the miso to soften, lower the flame to a simmer, add the melted miso. Do not boil miso, since miso is a live food, boiling will kill the microorganisms contained in the life of the miso. When the broth begins to move in a waving motion, 3 to 5 minutes turn it off and serve with the fresh scallions on top. This soup does not take long to make. It will keep in the fridge if leftover, but best served right away.
INGREDIENTS Three cups of oat flakes 1 tsp. Sea salt ⅓ cup flax seeds ⅔ cup chopped walnuts One cup chopped almonds ⅓ cup sunflower avocado oil ¼ + cup maple or rice syrup ¾ cup dried apricots diced ½ tsp. Vanilla ¼ tsp. Almond extract 1 tsp. Cinnamon One cup of raisins
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Natto is made from cooked whole soybeans that have been fermented with koji spores. Once it is prepared, there is no need for further cooking. It is usually served as a side dish as an accompaniment with grains and noodles. It can be prepared by stirring it to bring out the stickiness, then adding different flavors, such as soy sauce, grated fresh ginger, daikon radish, jinenjo mountain potato, mustard, horse radish, chives, scallions, nori slivers, and other seasonings. It can be made at home with a bit of preparation and can be purchased in Asian markets or online. I find it is difficult to find Natto made with organic soybeans, so I am going to attempt to make it at home. I ordered the Kawashima Natto Starter Powder through Amazon, will update when I do it. I made it years ago with Sensei Muramoto, and remember that it was very different and more delicious than the frozen packages available. Natto has a distinctive smell and flavor that people either love it or hate it. I have heard that people who eat a lot of dairy do not like it, I am not sure how true that is. The benefits to enjoying Natto are enormous. It is a super nutritious food. It is originated in Japan, where the cooked soybeans were wrapped in rice straw which naturally had the bacillus subtillis bacteria on its surface. This allowed the sugar in the beans to ferment creating Natto. Soybeans are a very hard bean. It takes a long time to cook them. Soybeans are a very important part of the vegetarian diet because they are a one of the highest quality sources of plant based protein, vitamins, minerals and isoflavones. They do contain anti-nutrients such as lectins, however, it has been studied that fermentation reduces the content by 95%.
When I lived in Southern California, studying with Sensei Muramoto, we made dried persimmons. We would get cases of them. It was early winter and he had a wood burning stove, since it would get chilly. He built what appeared to be a makeshift fort to dry the peeled persimmons. He used grass mats and built them all around the wood burning stove. We would sit for hours peeling them. He took great pride in being able to peel the whole fruit with one long peel. I never could do it. Every day, he would turn them. When they began to be more dry, he would press them slightly in the middle. It took several weeks before they were ready. In the morning, we would slice them in slivers and serve them with green tea. It was the most delightful combination. He said it created a seventh taste. After I moved back to Philadelphia, we remained good friends. Every year, he would send me a big box of dried persimmons for Christmas. And every year, I would send him a wool vest with leather buttons from Lord & Taylor. My children and I loved them. His persimmons were the most beautiful, they would have a natural sugary coating and beautiful texture and sweetness. His hands had golden microbes. Every food he touched blossomed into it's most highest potential. There is no real recipe to creating dried persimmons. Buy fresh persimmons not too ripe. Wash and then carefully peel the skin off, leaving as much fruit as possible. Set them out on a clean straw mat or something that would be makeshift. The area should be warm, near a wood burning stove. Make sure they don't touch each other. With clean dry hands, turn them each day. When they begin to crystalize on the outside, press the center slightly. When they are completely dried yet tender, store them in a dry air paper box, like cardboard, with wax or parchment paper to store. I would slice them and best serve with green tea.
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