The Meat Of It

I've been home for break for about a day now and have so far crossed two recipes off my to-bake/cook list. While I definitely have the time to make these things while at school, there's a special sort of culinary motivation that only comes from cooking for your family. Whether or not they end up being able to stomach what you make for them, if you're as lucky as I am, you have a handful of loving guinea pigs who are willing to try.

Last night, with some assistance from my little sister, I churned out two loaves of Finnish Christmas bread (following this recipe, noted by Milla in one of her recent posts) and, this afternoon, in accordance with my new vegetarianism, cooked my first batch of seitan.


Some beautiful bread if I do say so myself.

What I learned: a) kneading bread dough with molasses in it can be incredibly frustrating and confusing ("haven't I added enough flour already??") and b) simmering something in vegetable broth and soy sauce for an hour will give you some very, very flavorful stuff. I'm talking about the essence of savory. It's not something I could eat on its own; I'm thinking of incorporating it into a vegetarian spaghetti bolognese, a suggestion made by Claire in her own personal seitan recipe. If you follow the link you'll find a recipe much more personalized and complex (and undoubtedly delicious) than the one I used:



as I wanted to start with the basics. I find it so cool that you can do this whole process from scratch and add whatever you like. I've tried out a few other store-bought meat substitutes, but the daunting unpronounceable ingredient list on most of them, not to mention the simple fact that they're frozen and not fresh, never fails to give me the chills. No labor, no love.

I have yet to ponder what else I might add to my own (I'll certainly be trying out Claire's recipe). And why don't I have a picture of the seitan up? You know why. It looks like brains. As soon as I actually use it in a meal I'll reveal the appetizing-looking version.

I'll also, hopefully, have some unique recipes to share with y'all coming up. With this wonderful holiday time on my hands now, I have plans to cook, bake, cook, bake, write, and hike. And then cook and bake. You'll be hearing from me.

I hope the holiday season finds you all merry and well, and if you happen to be reading this, many thank yous to Milla and Claire for inspiring two delicious recipes that will be made over and over.

xoxo
Juliana