[Vegan Beef Sauté with Red Wine, Mushrooms, Bacon, and Onion]
...Julia says these beef sautés are good to know about if you have to entertain important people in a hurry...
...my little family are the most important people I know...and I think Julia has a different concept of time that most of us...at least in the kitchen...
...I started out making some beef flavored seitan...
...then I cut it into roughly 2 inch chunks...
...and sautéed that in a bit of oil...
...turning it until all sides were lightly browned...
...then I mixed up the cooking liquid...which was vegan beef stock and red wine...
...a mashed clove of garlic...
...a tablespoon of tomato paste...I keep little one tablespoon dollops of tomato paste in the freezer anytime I have leftover tomato paste...it comes in very handy for recipes like this that only call for a little bit...
...and a little bit of thyme...pretty simple really...
...then added the sautéed seitan chunks...
...and the Smart Bacon...Julia says to blanch the bacon...but I didn't think that was necessary for vegan bacon...
...start that cooking...it needs to reduce by half...
...meantime...sauté some mushrooms...
...and braise some pearl onions...Julia specifies 18-24...but hers must have been larger than mine...and I could only find frozen ones...and they braise in a single layer in a heavy bottomed saucepan in white wine...or you can use vegan chicken stock or just water...
...and then you add the onions...
...and the mushrooms to your bubbling pot...
...and let it simmer until reduced by half...then mix in some flour mixed with vegan butter to thicken the sauce a bit...
...and it's ready to serve...
...with some green beans and carrots...
...and oh my goodness this was delicious...so tender and juicy...
Substitutions:
Vegan bacon - I used Smart Bacon
Earth Balance for Butter
Beef flavored seitan for the meat
Vegan Beef stock or bouillon
Recipe here:
Scribd and then search for Mastering the Art of French Cooking (pp. 326 - 327)
