A Recipe for Beef Stew – Vegetarians rejoice!
A vegetarian friend of mine tends to go crazy around St. Patricks day because of the smells of beef/lamb coming from all directions as people devour steaming bowls of hearty Irish stew. So, I decided to find her an alternative that was just as good.
I hate Tofu. It’s tasteless, boring, and altogether sad to see as an “alternative” to a variety of meats – it’s not an alternative, not even close. I digress…
Seitan, however, is something I can get behind. It’s a wheat based product instead of soy based like Tofu. This means it has a tougher, stringier texture which might sound unpleasant, but it’s more like meat such as lamb than tofu can even dream of. Here is a tasty seitan recipe for beef stew that even meat lovers can get behind!
Recipe for Beef Stew – Ingredients
You will need:
- Approx 14 oz seitan, cut into thin strips
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp steak sauce, HP, A1 or similar (check to make sure what you buy is veg. friendly)
- 3 tbsp butter or margarine
- 1 Spanish onion, diced
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 medium potatoes chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 12 oz bottles Guinness Stout OR 1 bottle plus 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tsp brown sugar (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Recipe for Beef Stew – Process
While it would be fine to use the same technique as we have listed on this site for a traditional recipe for beef stew, this works better for Seitan to impart a deeper and more “meaty” flavour.
Sautee the seitan in the olive oil and soy sauce until lightly toasted brown (should take about 5mins over med. heat). Reduce the heat slightly and add the steak sauce until the seitan is coated. Remove from the heat and set aside. It will cool while you prepare the rest.
In a large pot sautee the onions, celery, and carrots together (mire-poix), add the potatoes, garlic, and butter/margarine and cook everything together for 3-5 mins or until the celery tenders, and the onions soften. Reduce the heat again, and slowly add Guiness stirring gently to combine. Add flour, thyme, sugar, salt, pepper and stir well.
Add the seitan to the mix and any juices that might have collected.
Simmer on med-low heat for 40mins or until the Guiness has reduced and stew thickens.
Taste for salt and pepper. Serve.
Enjoy!
