pot roast charcuterie

   

Overview

Seitan - prep 15 min, cook 3 hours
Roast - prep 15 min, cook 1 hour
Dishes: slow cooker, large roasting pot, oven

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

I am so excited to bring you this meal! At first, I thought it would be really difficult and time-consuming, but it turns out to be easy enough for a family-centered weekend meal. I offer you Pot Roast Charcuterie!

The roast is made with a spin on my Aquafaba cookbook pulled-seitan recipe and it is perfect for a pot roast style meal. The seitan falls apart as is expected, because it is laced with smashed chickpeas. Not to worry, though, because the chickpeas are so inconspicuous that when I told my diners that it had chickpeas, they were quite surprised.

The roast takes 3 hours to cook, but only 15 minutes to prepare, including kneading (use a bread machine or stand mixer, if you want to). If doing it by hand, less than 10 minutes. 

After browning the onions and potatoes, a simple roux is prepared and the gravy's base is created. Add the roast, return the vegetables to the pan and roast for 1 hour. 

How you present it is up to you - you can serve it like a regular pot roast or you can go one step further and present it as a charcuterie plate. I highly recommend the later, especially if you have an extra 5 minutes to spend on presentation. Adding some pickles, whipping up the horseradish crema and slicing some bread is not hard at all and makes a lot of difference. 

It brought my family to the table, where we gathered around the tray and not only enjoyed the pot roast, which was really delicious, but each other's company as well. 

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Make the roast the day before. It is best cooled before prepared as a pot roast.
• Heat your pan high heat. Pan fry the onion and carrot while you chop the potatoes.
• Pan fry the potatoes while you gather the broth and flour.
• Use a sturdy wooden spatula to remove all the brown bits at the bottom of the pan after you add 1 cup of the broth.
• Prepare the horseradish sauce, the tray and the pickles while the roast bakes.
• Add the roast to the tray first and then surround with the other ingredients.
• Serve family style.   

(Printer-friendly doesn't seem to be so friendly. Just select the text between the arrows (including the white space to add margin on the top), right-click, select Print, and now it's printer-friendly. Can also be saved as PDF:  choose Save as PDF in Destination drop-down, instead of a printer.)

Pot Roast Charcuterie

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com

Makes 4 servings 

weekend

Preheat oven to 350-F.

1. Vegetables: Add the oil to a large, oven safe pot over high heat. Add the onion and carrot and brown. Remove to a plate. Add the potatoes and brown. Remove to the plate.         

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 small onions, quartered

4 medium carrots

4 medium potatoes, quartered 

2. Roux: Add the flour to the pot. Stir well with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom to loosen any browned bits. Add 1 cup of the broth, stir well to avoid loops. Add the rest of the broth, tamari, thyme and Rosemary. Stir well. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat. 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups vegetable broth

1 tablespoon tamari 

1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme

1 teaspoon fresh or dried Rosemary

3. Pot Roast: Add the seitan and reserved Vegetables to the Roux. Transfer to the oven and cook for 1 hour.   

1 Pulled Seitan Roast

4. Cream: Mix the sour cream, horseradish and sugar. Serve the stew in bowls, add a dollop of Cream and add fresh ground pepper.  

1/2 cup nondairy sour cream

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

1/2 teaspoon sugar   

5. Serve: Serve the  Pot Roast with the Cream on the side or prepare as charcuterie by arranging the Pot Roast in the middle of a tray, with the Vegetables around it. Add slices of bread, pickles, radishes, the gravy and the Cream.   

Slices of bread

Dill and/or sweet pickles

Sliced Radishes 

© 2021 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

Pint It!

shooter's sandwich

I stumbled on a British sandwich that apparently became quite popular a few years ago because someone in a column somewhere claimed it was the BEST sandwich in the universe -  or something to that effect.

I assumed that Shooter's sandwich meant in the sense of shooting a shot of liquor - that's where my mind went to - but when I asked my daughter her opinion, she thought of shooting a gun or hunting. Turns out she was right: Shooter's sandwich became a thing because someone can shoot a gun while aiming at animals to kill and eat at the same time. Great.

I am instead claiming the word "shooter" (in this instance) to mean shooting a camera - as in "he's one of the best shooters of wildlife in all of professional photography" (credit: Merriam-Webster site).

Originally, the sandwich was a sort of portable Wellington - steak, mushrooms, horseradish, mustard and bread. The sandwich is pressed overnight so that once cut into, nothing falls out.

This, of course, is way too involved a project when I'm hungry, and, thus, here is my version of this camera-ready sandwich. Okay, maybe you need two hands to hold it. A sacrifice worth an overnight stint under a pile of cast iron pans.

I used mushrooms and kale as the base of the sandwich, topped it with some crunchy cucumber slices and slathered with horseradish-Dijon sauce. Broil the bread instead of toast it - this way, the inside stays soft and the outside is crisp. Toasting it just makes it way too crisp.

Enjoy!

Shooter's Sandwich
Makes 2 sandwiches 

Horseradish-Dijon Sauce:
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons vegan mayo (optional - I skipped it)

Filling:
10 ounces mushrooms, cut thick (about 1/4 -inch)
1 bunch kale, tough stems removed and chopped
Sea salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon neutral oil or vegetable broth (I used the oil so the mushrooms can caramelize)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari

Other:
4 slices bread, toasted (broiled) on one side
12 slices cucumbers

1. Sauce: Combine the mustard, horseradish and mayonnaise (if using) in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside. 
2. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and cook until the mushrooms give off moisture, about 6 minutes. Add the kale and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the oil, garlic, paprika and season with black pepper. Cook until the mushrooms are golden brown but do not burn the garlic. Add the tamari and cook until evaporated, about 1 minute. Remove from heat 
3. Assemble the sandwiches: bottom toast, sauce, mushroom mixture, cucumber slices and top toast. Serve immediately. 


© 2017 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

Pin it!

braised vegan sausage and cabbage with horseradish sauce

We had such an amazing time last weekend, but are so happy to finally be home. 

Our Homeschool Conference in the Chicagoland area was tons of fun for the kids, tons of work for David and me. Fortunately along with the work and fun, some of us even learned a  thing or two. We are now back at home and I am again free to blog according to my ability and allotted time.

Since we were away this weekend and since a Patty's Day feast a microwave does not make, I am posting a belated Irish meal - cook at will and worry not about it being St Pat's Day. Enjoy the dish whenever the urge strikes.

This is an easy and quick open-faced sandwich of sorts, Braised Sausage and Cabbage with Horseradish Sauce, a take-off of the Corned Cabbage that the family loves but for which I did not have a whole lot of time to prepare. In its stead, I used a lot of the flavors and ingredients that are in the Corned Cabbage and made them into a quick dish.

The whole process started as a simple Sausage and Cabbage dish and morphed into the Corned-idea after Kate mentioned that it was a too bad that it wasn't going to be Corned Cabbage. That is all it really takes for me - someone lamenting over something I am NOT making - and the original dish veers off in another direction.

I braised vegan sausage, onions, peppers and cabbage in a corned-broth and served it over toasted whole wheat slices, drizzled with horseradish sauce. I also baked up acorn squash, left over from the produce box before we took off for vacation. Spring is here, so enjoy those winter squash while you still can! And partake of this dish whenever you see a scrumptious head of cabbage and a few links of Field Roast sausage calling out to you.

Cost Breakdown

cabbage: $3

sausage: $5

onion, pepper: $3

spices, herbs: $2

bread, vegenaise, horseradish: $2

Total to make 5 servings:

$15.00

BRAISED VEGAN SAUSAGE AND CABBAGE SANDWICH RECIPE

vine and dine - horseradish crusted tofu

Vine and Dine

This week's Vine and Dine by Tami is being reported from a hotel in Maryland! We are on vacation and made the Vine and Dine last week before we left. As vacations tend to be, our leaving was too hectic to do the write up earlier so, we are now wracking our brains to remember what the meal was like and how the wine complemented it.

We'll do our best.

The cookbook chosen this time was the first Horizon book and the recipe out of that was the Horseradish Crusted Tofu with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. While I believe part of the idea of V&D is to get us to dig out forgotten cookbooks and explore new recipes, this happened to have been one of the only recipes we actually tried and loved. I wonder how many out there who have this book also made this very recipe since it simply sounds great. One thing is for sure, this book doesn't get the attention in our kitchen that it richly deserves. Nice to have dusted it off.

Out of the same cookbook the Spinach with Pine Nuts was recommended; garlic, olive oil, spinach and pine nuts. I'm there. Do not omit the pine nuts from this - it adds so much flavor and texture. You don't even have to add a lot of pine nuts, but don't substitute it since it is so worth it.

The tofu dish we made gluten free. Kate is at least gluten or wheat sensitive, so we subbed Glution Breading Crumbs for the bread crumbs. I also made our own baked tofu by first pressing (Tofu Express) it and then baking it in a chicken-like marinade. My daughter was complaining that tofu tastes like nothing. All this time I thought I had been making tofu well, and then all it takes is a reality check from my eleven-year-old who should be avoiding seitan now. She set me straight and now I am working on getting flavor (more flavor?) into a slab of tofu. I guess I was onto something since she really liked this horseradish tofu - and of course, the recipe from the book didn't hurt either.

As for the V&D itself, the tofu with mashed potatoes, the spinach and the red pepper sauce was phenomenal. Oh, and the wine was darned good as well! I'm going to spoil it for David by saying it first, but it was a delightful screw-top Merlot. But then I'm a sucker for a good red wine anytime. This one made me happy.

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

This wine was good,

With this tofu.

-- David (or his wife)

Stellar Organics

flatbread fun

Tester Teaser

Let's have more Tami tester pics. This time around, how about some Flatbread Fun? Tami has some insane bread recipes in her upcoming cookbook! These two top my all time fave's in it ... I think; there are SO many!

This first one is The Veg Wedge. The grilling comes out in full force in this recipe. Get the coals ready or have the gas tank full, it is loaded with grilled vegetables, smeared with Cracker Spread and glazed with a special sauce. To finish it, you slap this monster on the grill and let the bread develop an awesome crunch. Can you taste it, yet?

If you are in the mood for a lighter appetizer flatbread, you will want to dig into this masterpiece, Tomato and Arugula Flatbread. Again her Rosemary Flatbread is grilled but this time with arugula and then topped with a tomato salad and Horseradish Sauce. A little kick and a lot of flavor. Party in your mouth.

I certainly hope this book will be out soon; I almost feel bad showing you these teasers and then telling you you can't have them, yet. Soon, I hope!

corned cabbage

Family Favorite

Well, this is almost a family favorite, since two of the five don't consider it one, but the other three that do speak very loudly.

This is a super easy to make, very simple meal, but oh so wonderful.

We started making out the entire corned seitan (corned beef) dish, complete with seitan, cabbage and potatoes, but as time went on, we realized we actually like the vegetables. True the seitan makes a great Reuben (see the Corned Setian recipe on the Recipe list page), but the corned seitan can be frozen and it takes more work and we found ourselves eating the cabbage and carrots and potatoes more.

The obvious solution was to skip the seitan and make only the vegetables. Now before you ignore this dish, let me tell you how fantastic it is.

 It is thhhhhiiiiissss good.

 Really.

The horseradish sauce is really what puts it over the top, so no matter what eggless mayo you use, Veganaise, Nayonaise or a homemade one using tofu, this is the sauce that makes the humble cabbage and potatoes an aristocrat.  

To make it all you do is put all of your vegetables, cabbage, carrot, onion and potato in a large pot and add the cooking broth made of pickling spice, balsamic vinegar, ketchup, maple syrup, cloves, garlic and paprika. Simmer until the vegetables are tender and serve with the Horseradish sauce.

Cost Breakdown

carrot, onion, garlic: $2

potato: $2

cabbage: $4

veganaise, horseradish: $1

spices, maple, ketchup, vinegar: $1

Total to feed a family of 6:

$10.00