A Recipe for Kindness

Pecan-Crusted Seitan served with pasta.

Photo: Victoria Pearson

In the holiday spirit, actress Alicia Silverstone, interviewed in VT’s November/December 2009 issue, kindly shares with us a vegan recipe from her new book, The Kind Diet (available at amazon.com):


PECAN-CRUSTED SEITAN

Serves 4 to 6

This recipe was created by my dear friend Joy [Pierson] and is published in The Candle Café Cookbook. It’s a real crowd-pleaser—perfect at a fancy dinner party or at a Thanksgiving feast to replace that big dead bird.

Marinade

3/4 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup umeboshi vinegar

1/4 cup dry red wine

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup shoyu

1/4 cup minced garlic or less to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbs. minced fresh tarragon or 1 tsp. dried

2 Tbs. minced fresh rosemary

Cutlets

8 to 10 pieces plain seitan (about 1 lb.)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 cup ground pecans

2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. To make Marinade: combine tomato paste, vinegar, wine, orange juice, shoyu, garlic, parsley, tarragon, and rosemary in a blender, and blend until smooth. Transfer Marinade to shallow dish.

2. To make Cutlets: Add seitan to Marinade, and turn to coat on all sides. Cover dish, and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.

3. When ready to serve, mix together flour, salt, pepper, pecans, and rosemary in shallow bowl. Dredge marinated seitan in flour mixture.

4. Heat oil in sauté pan, and add Cutlets to pan. Sauté until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve immediately.