My friend Dave made roast beef (seitan) po' boys for our last TVP (yea, crazy right...
even my Momma 'n 'em would like these, they're sooo tasty). The food theme was New Orleans food
and since Dave usually outdoes himself at these functions, he sure didn't hold back with these.
These sandwiches are fucking unbelievably delicious. He even brought real po' boy bread! (Who knew there was a
a vegan one to get?) The bread is really important too-- it has to be airy and lightweight to be great, otherwise it can be
really dense and just weigh everything down. If you make these and can't find authentic po' boy bread, just choose a French bread that's
not too heavy and has a thin easy to chew through crust. As a vegan in New Orleans, the only kind of po' boy I'd had (before this masterpiece) had been an "undressed" french fry version.
It was great to be able to tell him to dress it: veganaise and mustard on top of fresh lettuce and thinly
sliced tomatoes. Roast beef po' boys typically have a mess of gravy pouring off, and these were no exception. Even if you
can't find the proper bread, these won't disapoint. Thanks, Dave!
What you need for the seitan roast beef (feeds a crowd):
-
2-3 pounds of seitan, sliced thin (homemade or store bought, Dave bought two different kinds for his).
-
1/2 onion, finely chopped
-
5 cloves garlic, minced
-
2 tablespoons soy sauce
-
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
What you do:
-
Saute the seitan slices, onion and garlic in the oil over medium
heat.
-
After the onions soften a little and the seitan starts to
brown, add the soy sauce and balsamic vinegar and saute a little
longer until all the ingredients mix together well and the vinegar
cooks off a little.
-
Remove from heat and set aside.
What you need for the brown gravy:
-
1/2-3/4 cup white all purpose flour
-
1/4-1/2 cup vegetable oil
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1 cup vegetable broth
-
1 teaspoon garlic powder
-
1 teaspoon onion powder
-
1 teaspoon salt
-
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
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1 tablespoon Kitchen Bouquet (gravy browner from the regular supermarket)
-
1 tablespoon soy sauce
-
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
What you do:
-
Brown the flour in the oil over medium heat, but becareful not to burn the flour.
-
When the roux (flour and oil mixture) is brown, add the vegetable broth and stir (or possibly even whisk)
until the texture is smooth.
-
Add the remaining ingredients and continue to stir to mix everything well.
-
You can add a little more Kitchen Bouquet and soy sauce if it's not dark enough. But don't go
overboard.
To Assemble:Add the seitan mixture to the gravy and stir everything up good.
Voila! "Roast beef" and gravy. Slather your favorite vegan mayo (Vegenaise) and yellow mustard on
some laterally sliced French bread. Pile on the roast beef and gravy.
Add some sliced tomatoes and shredded lettuce and bite into that po'
boy sandwich!