NOT gluten free: seitan marsala

Ragazzi, Annalena has to get something off of her not inconsiderable chest.

She recognizes, that some of you out there, are unfortunately afflicted with Celiac's disease, a HORRIBLE autoimmune disease that is stimulated by gluten.  This recipe is not for you.  There are many of you, however, who will say  "well, I'm gluten intolerant."  Annalena will get in trouble here, but here goes.  No you're not.  There is an ever growing body of literature that shows, convincingly, that what is passing for gluten intolerance is just either something having to do with preservatives, or something that the medical community, in its wisdom, has provoked.  Just like it did with other conditions, and fads (who remembers wheat bran?  Echinacea?    And so we go).

Civilization has been eating gluten for a long, LONG time.  Gluten, in the form of seitan, is a major component of the diets of vegetarian monks in Asia.  Trust  her, if there had been a problem in the world of the monks, Annalena would have known about it.  She is unaware of it.  She is unaware of stories of monks developing afflictions from eating various Buddhist dishes based on gluten. Hence, to a very large extent she says  'GET OVER IT."

Ok, send the hate mail.   Go ahead.  Annalena knows what to do.

For those of you who do not know what gluten is, here's a very simple explanation:  when wheat flour is kneaded, molecules are knocked together, and a protein, called gluten, forms.  This is the molecule that allows bread to stretch and rise.  It's found in wheat, and in some other grains.  Other grains do not have it.  That is why, for example, if you make rye bread, you must either add some wheat flour, or plan on a very low, very dense bread.

You can make gluten yourself.  Annalena has.  Her bud Ray has.  It is a time consuming process, with a small yield - leave it to the monks to develop something like that.  For those of us, however, who have other things to do than meditate and make gluten from scratch, one can buy gluten flour:

And this is why you want it:

Seems like a good thing, doesn't it?  It is.  And here is how you make it:  put two cups of the flour in a bowl, and add two cups of warm (body temperature) water.  Get your hands in there, and squish it around.  It will be like a sponge.  Knead it until all the flour has disappeared.  Now, break off pieces and roll it into logs.  Annalena usually does 3-4.

Put this into a pot with a few tablespoons of soy sauce, tamari, etc, and a couple of molasses.  You can use all soy if you like.  The point is to get some color.  Most recipes, including the one on the package, call for dried spices.  Don't bother.  Cover the stuff with water, bring it to a simmer, and let it cook for an hour.  The seitan is going to expand, so be ready.  And when an hour has passed, let it cool. 

This is going to give you plenty to do lots of recipes.  Here's one. 

Take about six cups of sliced seitan, and in a nonstick pan, slick the bottom with vegetable or olive oil, and give the seitan a sear.  It does in fact cook, just like meat.  It will take a bit of time, but it's worth it. 

Move the seitan to a bowl, and now to the same pan, augmented with more oil if you need it, a sliced onion, and a cup of chopped celery.  Cook that until the veggies begin to soften.  Move them out of the pan, and add a  pound of mushrooms.  Annalena used a mix of button mushrooms, and black trumpets.  Use what you got.   When the mushrooms have begun to give up the liquid,  add a big teaspoon of salt, and add the veggies and the seitan back in. 

Now, something you may have to shop for:  marsala wine.  Get the dry one, which isn't very dry, but it is drier than the sweet one, which is like cherry juice. Pour out at least half a cup, perhaps 3/4.  Add the wine in 1/3 increments.  The first batch will disappear into the air:  just completely vaporized.  And as you add more, the liquid will stick around.  When you're done, lower the temperature, and simmer for about ten minutes.  Check your seasoning.  You should have the decided taste of marsala in the dish, and if you don't, add more. 

Here's what you get:

Annalena wil not insult you and say it "tastes just like chicken" or that it "tastes just like veal," because it doesn't.  It tastes like seitan, and that's a good thing.  

If you don't have marsala but wish to go forward, use red wine.  Zinfandel is Annalena's favorite.  You can, of course, use white wine, but then Annalena suggests you put some citrus into it, or perhaps do a  version "a l'orange," which Annalena will share with you, if you like.  Just let her know.