It’s been a month or so since I posted my recent favorite cheese recipe, Truffled Brie. And now, I introduce you to an old-time gastronomic delight, Truffled Seitan. This one is tried and true – the “meat alternative” that gets omnivores asking for more (I know; I have served it to hundreds of meat eaters). They have described it as akin to certain things I dare not repeat here, but it is succulent, tender, flavorful, deeply delicious. And did I mention versatile? You can serve it thinly filleted, in large chunks in stews, or grind it for Bolognese sauce or stuffing mushrooms – or even better, Duxelles. Most recently, I’ve been serving it either as an entree or appetizer as a rollatini, wrapping around roasted red bell peppers stuffed with my Smoked Provolone cheese (from Artisan Vegan Cheese). The combination of smoky, melty cheese, the sweet pepper, and the savory seitan redolent of mushrooms is stellar. This is the type of thing you’ll want to usethis holiday season to transport your guests to gastronomic heights! If you really want to go over the top, make the Duxelles and follow the instructions at the bottom of the recipe to make Truffled Seitan Roulade with Duxelles. Then have a real holiday.
- 6 cups mushrooms (mixed crimini and shiitake or just crimini), roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup olive oil (optional)
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup red wine
- 3 – 4 cloves garlic
- 2 ½ cups water or stock
- 5 cups vital wheat gluten to make soft dough (1 lb. 6 oz., 1 bag of Bob’s Red Mill)
- Marinade and Sauce:
- 2 ½ cups red wine
- 1 ¼ cup mirin (sweet sake)
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup olive oil (optional)
- 3 – 4 tablespoons Truffle oil
- 1 bulb minced garlic
- Truffle Sauce:
- 2 cups marinade above
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot
- Puree the mushrooms with the oil, soy sauce. wine and garlic in a blender until creamy. Whisk in the water or stock, then mix in the vital wheat gluten until a very soft dough appears. It will not be as firm or stretchy as bread dough, but more like biscuit dough. Divide into 5 loaves and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, bring to a boil a large pot of water. After baking, transfer the seitan loaves to the pot and simmer for about an hour. Allow to cool before removing from the pot. Squeeze as much water out of the loaves as possible.
- Make the marinade by combining all of the marinade ingredients in a large bowl or container. At this point, the seitan can be sliced, cut into chunks, or left whole, and marinated overnight in the truffle marinade, or refrigerated for 2 – 3 days before marinating. You can also freeze in the marinade for several months.
- To make the rollatini or fillets as in the photograph, slice thinly (less than 1/4”). Marinate overnight or for up to one week in the marinade (or as mentioned before, in the freezer for longer periods). When ready to cook, heat a griddle, then coat lightly with oil. Sear the fillets on both sides until beautifully browned, then use to make the rollatini, or serve with the truffle sauce.
- To make the sauce, put about two cups of the truffle marinade into a saucepan and add the mushroom juice from the duxelles. Simmer for about 30 minutes until slightly reduced and extremely flavorful. Dissolve the cornstarch in a few tablespoons of water and whisk into the pot to thicken slighty and render a sauce that coats the back of a spoon.
- To Assemble Truffle Seitan Roulade with Duxelles:
- In a large skillet, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil. Over fairly high heat, sear the seitan fillets on both sides quickly. Remove from the pan. You will need 2 fillets per serving.
- Place two fillets next to each other. Towards one end, place a spear or two of asparagus and 2 – 3 tablespoons of Duxelle filling. Roll up from that end into a roll. Place on a greased baking sheet. Repeat this nine times to make ten rolls. Cover baking sheet in aluminum foil. This can be prepared up to one day in advance. When ready to serve, bake at 350° for about 20 minutes until hot. Serve with a few tablespoons of truffle sauce poured over.
I am so glad you posted this recipe! If this is the recipe of the dish you had at your party, IT WAS AMAZING!!! People approached the grill and asked for the seitan not knowing it was vegan. A huge mound of it was completely gone by the end of the night.
Yes, this is the recipe! I didn’t add any olive oil to the recipe that I used for the party (it’s optional in the recipe, and tenderizes it and makes it richer, but I don’t think it’s necessary unless you really want to indulge).
Ohhh wow! This may be just what I was looking for for my family’s christmas potluck. I’ve always absolutely HATED that we had to cater to our guests and order a meat plate, even though my nuclear family is made up of vegetarians and pescatarians. I might have to try this for our party!
Is the red wine a necessary component? It looks like it. I think we have some in our house, but I’m aksing because as I’m underage, I doubt that I could make this when I’m at school living on my own and can’t buy alcohol.
You can use a non-alcoholic red wine, but the red wine is a necessary component! Good luck appeasing your family members!
hey, I’m trying to make this now…. is it alright if the dough has mushroom chunks in it? apparently my blender isn’t super efficient at chopping everything up
Yes, that’s fine. It will just be seitan with a few mushroom chunks in it! Merry Christmas!
Oh, I can’t wait to try this! Question on step 4, though – what is the “mushroom juice from the duxelles”?
Thanks for the heads-up – I will fix the recipe.
So is the “mushroom juice from the duxelles” necessary for the sauce? Or is the sauce just the marinade thickened with cornstarch? Or were the mushrooms from the beginning of the recipe supposed to be cooked into duxelles before being blended?
Nicole,
I hadn’t meant to have that mention of the duxelles liquid in the post, but because I got sloppy, I posted a recipe today for duxelles! However, you can omit it entirely and it will be delicious, although ever the more so with it! Have fun!