Candle 79 Giveaway Winner!!!

This is one of those books that just gets me excited. One of the dishes I will absolutely be making in the near future is the Seitan Piccata (pg. 89) with Creamed Spinach (pg. 114). Look at this beautiful dish. Lucky for us, 10 Speed Press gave me permission to share the recipes with you today! Enjoy!!

Seitan Piccata

Serves 6

6 seitan cutlets (about 1 1/2 pounds; page 109)

Whole wheat flour, for dredging

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup minced shallots

1/4 cup finely sliced leek, white and pale green parts

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup capers, drained

2 cups vegetable stock or water

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish (optional)

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Caper berries, for garnish

1 lemon, thinly sliced for garnish, optional

Dredge the cutlets in the whole wheat flour, shaking off any excess.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the cutlets and cook until crisp and golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Place the cutlets on individual plates or a platter.

Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil in another sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots, leek, salt, and pepper and sauté until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the all-purpose flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, to make a roux. Add the wine to deglaze the pan and stir well to incorporate the flour. Add the capers, stock, bay leaf, minced parsley, thyme, turmeric, and lemon juice and cook over medium heat until the sauce becomes slightly glossy, about 10 minutes.

Spoon the sauce onto serving plates and place the cutlets atop the sauce. Garnish with the caper berries and the optional chopped parsley and lemon slices. Serve at once.

Bonterra Chardonnay, California

In picturesque Mendocino County, Bonterra has been proudly certified organic since 1987. The full body and toasty oak in this Chardonnay echo the silky texture of the lemon-caper sauce.

Seitan Cutlets

7 cups unbleached bread flour

3 cups whole wheat bread flour

41⁄2 cups water

11⁄2 teaspoons sea salt

8 cups vegetable stock or water

1⁄4 cup tamari

1 piece of kombu

1 piece of wakame

Makes 6 to 8 cutlets, about 11⁄2 pounds

Put the flours in a bowl. Mix the water and salt together and add to the flour. Stir until the mixture forms a ball of dough. When you have a nice ball, cover with water and let stand for 1 hour.

Pour off the water and rinse the dough under cold running water until the water is almost clear. Divide the dough into 2 balls.

Put the stock in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Add the tamari, kombu, and wakame and decrease the heat. Add the balls of dough and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours, until they are firm and slice easily.

Drain the stock from the pot, reserving the stock if not using the seitan right away. Transfer the seitan to a bowl, add enough cold water to cover, and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Drain and slice the seitan into 1⁄2-inch-thick cutlets.

If not using the seitan at this point, store it (sliced or unsliced) in 4 cups of the reserved stock, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Alternatively, the cutlets can be frozen (without the stock) for up to 3 months.

Creamed Spinach

2 pounds fresh spinach, tough stems removed

1 cup coarsely chopped silken tofu

1⁄2 cup vegan mayonnaise

1⁄2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Serves 4 to 6

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spinach and cook for 2 minutes.

Drain in a fine-mesh strainer, pressing with a large spoon to release as much water as possible. Finely chop the spinach and transfer to a large bowl.

Put the tofu, vegan mayo, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade and process until smooth.

Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and gently cook over medium-low heat, making sure the mixture doesn’t boil. Once the mixture is warmed through, remove from the heat. Pour it over the spinach and gently mix together. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Serve warm.

Reprinted with permission from Candle 79 Cookbook: Modern Vegan Classics from New York’s Premier Sustainable Restaurant by Joy Pierson, Angel Ramos, and Jorge Pineda, copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. Photo credit: Rita Maas

After all of this decadence, you might be in need of a lower cal book! Have no fear. Tomorrow a guest post by my awesome sister and a review of The Quick and Easy, Low-Cal Vegan Comfort Food Cookbook by Alicia C Simpson.  (US shipping only). 

...and the winner is...

#5 JohnP!!!!

Congrats!!! I'm more than just a little bit jealous that you've gotten to dine there. John, make sure to send me your shipping info at vegintraining at g mail dot com