Monday, September 8, 2008

Hickory Smoked Veggie Turkey Lunchmeat

This is a follow-up recipe to my veggie lunch meat. When I made the original recipe I did not try to make it taste like any specific meat since I have found that texture is often more important in a sandwich. This time, though, I attempted a smoked turkey/chicken type meat and the end result was met with great acclaim by the whole family. A few caveats though: 1. All I had on hand was Mori-Nu tofu; I'm not sure if this makes a big difference. 2. Not all liquid smoke is equal. I have gone with the cheap stuff before and it is pretty nasty.

INGREDIENTS
- 12oz firm tofu
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup oil
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp Bragg's
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp tumeric
- 2 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1/4 tsp hickory liquid smoke
- 3 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten

METHOD
Get water steaming in your steamer. You will need a large steamer.
1. Place all ingredients except the gluten flour in a blender and process until very smooth. Pour into a bowl. Add gluten flour and work into a dough. Knead for a few mins to let gluten develop.
2. Shape dough into a log and wrap in heavy duty foil like a tootsie roll. Try to make the roll as thick as possible. Steam for 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees in the last 15 mins of steaming. Remove seitan from steamer and bake for 40-50 mins. Seitan should swell and press against the foil.
4. Cool and slice as needed for sandwiches. This seitan holds up very well and can be shaved very thin. Store in the fridge or freezer. This recipe makes a lot, so you can cut it into 3 or four chunks and store them away for later.