Veggin’

And now, we come to the end of the Vegetarian Giro d’Italia and our Last Supper. (Appropriate as Leonardo di Vinci was a vegetarian.)

It’s been a race of ups and down, surprises and nail biting stage wins. So, it’s time to celebrate much like one does at a wedding with some Italian Wedding Soup. Ah, but here’s where it gets tricky. The original name of this Italian soup is “minestra maritata” or “married soup”. This marriage is referring to the marriage of meat and vegetables not a wedding between two people.

Somehow, we Americans mistranslated these words and the misnomer was born.  Also remember that this is the Veggin’ way, so I also eliminate the meat part of the recipe as well. So, in the end, we all make compromises just like we accepted the fact that the winner wasn’t going to be Nibali, Evans, or Sastre.

Don’t you worry, I consulted my bible of vegetarian cooking, Vegetarian Times, for the best recipe and found this easy squeazy one that took no time to make. In fact, I had traveled all week, made the weary trip home from the airport, and had a bowl of hearty soup within 40 minutes of getting home without hardly breaking a sweat.

So, thank you for joining me on this tour of Italy. Be sure to stop by throughout the year as I tackle vegetarian recipes and reviews from all over the world.

Italian Wedding Soup
Vegetarian Times, October 2008

• 4 Tbs. olive oil, divided
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.), plus 1 whole clove, peeled, divided
• ¾ cup diced carrot
• ¾ cup diced celery (Note: I omitted the celery due to personal taste)
• 1 Tbs.  dried oregano
• 1 Tbs. dried basil
• 1 Tbs. dried parsley
• 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• ¾ cup ditalini pasta
• 1 pkg. vegan meatballs, defrosted (18 small meatballs)
• 1 5-oz. pkg. fresh spinach (Note: I tried this with kale…I think spinach would be much better)
• 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

Heat 2 Tbs. olive oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and minced garlic; sauté 5 minutes, or until beginning to soften. Stir in carrot and celery, and cook 5 minutes more, or until onion is soft and just beginning to brown. Add oregano, basil, and parsley, and cook 1 minute.

Stir in broth, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium, add ditalini, and cook at low boil 5 minutes, or half of cooking time stated in ditalini package directions.

Add meatballs, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 Tbs. oil in skillet over medium heat. Add remaining garlic clove, and crush with wooden spoon in oil while heating. Add spinach; cook 3 to 5 minutes, turning constantly so spinach becomes evenly coated and wilted, but still bright green.

After meatballs have simmered, add spinach and lemon juice to soup, and season with salt and pepper.

This is an original recipe by a fellow cycling fan and friend from Podium Cafe – Fred Marx (aka Chris). When I decided to tackle the Giro, I immediately thought of approaching him for a guest post as he always provides great suggestions, insights and ideas on anything food related. When I asked him to help, he jumped at the chance and brought Veggin’ this mouth-watering dish.

(By the way, Mr. Fred Marx is not only a talent in the kitchen, but also behind the lens. Check out these great photos and this chance to win one of them!)

And, without further ado, I hand over the steering wheel of Veggin’ and let Fred Marx take a spin with his contribution to the Vegetarian Giro d’Italia: Goat Cheese, Grilled Japanese Eggplant and Zucchini with Balsamic Red Wine Reduction.

He’s definitely allowed into my kitchen whenever he’d like…

Goat Cheese, Grilled Japanese Eggplant and Zucchini With Balsamic Red Wine Reduction
recipe by Fred Marx (aka Chris) from Podium Cafe

Toast:

• One medium Baguette, sliced on a bias, brushed with extra virgin olive oil and baked until golden brown at the edges
  • lightly salt and pepper as desired
  • oven as hot as you are comfortable with and can watch
  • too slow and they are stale or soggy too fast and they burn.

• One small 4-5 oz goat cheese.

Veggies:

• Two Japanese Eggplant
• One small zucchini about 4”
• ½ of  a smallish red onion
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes
• Capers
• Roasted Garlic
• Fresh Basil

The zucchini and the eggplant are sliced thinly.  1 or so hours ahead of preparation, lightly dust the sliced eggplant with Kosher salt.   Allow to drain though a strainer, then pat dry.  This will leach away some of the water content, tenderize and also remove some of the bitterness associated with the eggplant.

Heat a pan with ridges similar to a panini pan or your grill, lightly brush the sliced veggies with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  About 60/40 oil to vinegar.  Avoid soaking the veggies because they will flare and spatter.  Salt and peeper as desired.  Cook until lightly browned, but still firm.

Slice the onion and caramelize it over medium heat until golden brown.  Red onion caramelizes much better than white or yellow.

After cooking, julienne the sliced veggies, 4 of the sundried tomatoes and fine dice the onion.  If possible do this while they are still warm.  Mix together with a generous tablespoon of the capers (more if you like em, less if you’re not sure), set mix aside where it will stay warm.  Alternatively, cool the partially cooked veggies and then make the mix.  If cooled it will need to be reheated so the initial cooking time needs to be shortened.  The goal is firm grilled veggies, flavorful but not soggy.

Roll the basil leaves lengthwise and slice finely. Set aside.

Finely slice a couple of sundried tomatoes. Set aside.

Hang on to the remaining capers.

Sauce:

• 1-1.5 cups veggie stock – unsalted
• 1/2 cup red wine, something hearty, flavorful, but inexpensive Burgundy or Italian Red
• ¼ cup quality Balsamic vinegar
• 4-5 tbls Unsalted Butter

This is going to end up as your basic Buerre Rouge more or less.

A reduction finished with whole butter.

Put stock, wine, and vinegar in a non-reacting pan and bring to a rolling boil, reduce heat slightly and allow to cook until volume is reduced thick liquid.  This is the critical part.  This reduction will hold at a moderate temperature until needed.  Key here is not allowing it to get cold. When everything else is ready, you’re going to add the butter (whole room temp is fine, but not melted) in approximately 1 tbls slices and allow to mix into the reduction.  This is an emulsion much like oil and vinegar.  Too hot it will separate, too cold and it will not go together.  Once you get these nailed anything is possible.  The more common Buerre Blanc (Butter Sauce) is made with white wine, a mild white vinegar, shallots and other savory herbs.

Assemble:

Place 3-4 pieces of toast on a plate.  Gently smear with a goat cheese.  Place a proportionate serving of the warm veggies on the cheese.  Finish the sauce if it isn’t and drizzle it over the servings, and around the plate.  Garnish with sliced sundried tomato, capers, and the basil and serve.  This made approximately 12 pieces.

It looks prep intensive, but it assembled in about 45 minutes.  These can be done as cold apps without the reduction, but it’s more fun the other way.  Alternately, the veggies can be left whole but the end result is less delicate, and the flavors tend to be come harder to balance.

The Giro continues on in Italy, as does the tour of Italian food. I know it’s been a couple of days since I’ve posted but I figured that if the GC bigs can take a break so could I. Or, should I say, “ex-bigs”? (Thanks, gavia!) So, with this time to think about it, I’ve decided that I could spend some time making a pitch to bring the Giro to Washington, DC. What’s a 12 hour transfer when you drop 12 minutes on the GC? It’s time to Americanize!

Obviously, America isn’t Italy. But, has that stopped America from creating Italian things? No. So, I let The Sopranos guide me in making this Italian recipe. (Isn’t that a wonderfully American conceit?)

This recipe was originally posted on Veggin’ back in July, 2008. But I had to revive it – it’s a classic, tastes great, and you get to drop the “F Bomb” when you tell people what you’re making for dinner. Enjoy!

~~~

Usually, the f-bomb is uttered when you cut yourself when chopping onions or you drop a glass shattering it all over the floor. In this case, the f-word is used to describe a pasta dish. I named this vegetarian dish after the line little AJ Soprano famously uttered when he found out his grandmother wasn’t coming over to their pot-luck dinner – “So, what? No fuckin’ ziti, now!?!?”

It’s probably the best delivered line of the series, and, as such, it became a household term to describe this ziti dish. But, calling it F’in Ziti has now spread to our circle of friends as I’ve made it a few times on group trips and get-togethers. I’m a fan for things that are easy to make, and, the taste is so good that this shouldn’t disappoint AJ Soprano. It’s easy to cook for a crowd, easy to pack for travel and is great leftover. Make it enough and you may be greeted at your next group event with, “Whaaat, no fuckin’ ziti?!??!”

Megabeth’s “F’in Ziti”

• 1 24 oz jar of vegetarian pasta sauce (the thicker and more flavorful the sauce the better)
• 1 13.5 oz box of whole wheat penne or rotini (What? No f’in ziti?!? Yes, that’s right, I often use rotini or penne to make this. Ziti also works perfectly fine. )
• Shredded cheeses to sprinkle on top – italian blends, parmesean cheese, etc.
• Spices: dried oregano, italian blends, basil, parsley – the choice is yours
• Optional: mushrooms, peppers, diced tomatoes

Preheat oven to 375. (This is one time that I start the oven before food prep. Food preparation is so fast that I am usually done before oven preheats.)

Pour pasta into 9×11 pyrex baking dish.

Pour entire jar of pasta sauce into dish.

Add any mushrooms, peppers, etc.

Fill the pasta sauce jar with water and pour into dish. Stir to combine sauce evenly through pasta.

Cover dish with foil. Place in oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, lift foil to check on pasta. It should be just about cooked through. Sauce should be bubbly.

Remove foil and sprinkle cheese on top to cover pasta. For a crispier top, add finely grated parmesean cheese to the top of the shredded cheese. Sprinkle herbs over top.

Place back into oven for about 10 minutes until cheese is browned on top.

In the Campania region, buffalo mozzarella cheese is a local delicacy. For nearly 2000 years, buffalo have been raised in this region and the mozzarella from buffalo milk is acidic in flavor and rather juicy.  I had heard that making cheese was something I’d be able to do at home and I really wanted to see how easy it was to make good and edible cheese from scratch. Luckily, a friend of mine was up for the challenge and invited me over so we could try our hands at cheese-making. Try as we did, we couldn’t find any buffalo to milk in the Washington, DC region, so we had to settle for cow milk. (Cows milk mozzarella produces a more firm, slightly drier cheese.)

We used a kit that provided some of the ingredients and instructions for a 30-minute mozzarella. (Note: It took us a little longer than 30 minutes, more like an hour. But, honestly, from start to finish it did not seem to take to long for us to be enjoying our finished product.)

The ingredients required included: a gallon of milk, unchlorinated water, citric acid, rennet, cheese salt. Kitchen equipment included: thermometer, sieve, slotted spoon, cheese cloth, wooden spoon, large pot, smaller pot, two bowls.

As this recipe came from a kit and fits the ingredients provided in it, I’m not going to list out the recipe we used in detail here. As I am no where near a cheese-making expert, I suggest following the recipe that comes with the kit you purchase or find some cheese-making resources. All I merely want to demonstrate is how easy it was to make and to outline the basic steps we took to come up with some remarkably good cheese.

There were a few moments of disbelief as we stirred the liquid that was soon to be cheese. To be honest, we were pretty incredulous the entire time we were in the kitchen. But, through the magic of science, we ended up with some pretty good cheese. In the end, although we didn’t come out with a Mozzarella di Bufala that is coveted and revered by gourmets, we did end up with a truly fresh and palate-pleasing cheese.

Here is a basic outline of what we did  to make our mozzarella cheese…

Dissolve rennet in a bowl. Dissolve citric acid in bowl. In a pot, pour one gallon of milk and stir in citric acid. Heat the milk to 90 degrees.

Remove pot from burner and add rennet to the milk. Stir in a top to bottom motion for about 30 seconds, then stop.

Cover pot and leave undisturbed for 5 minutes. (We actually had to have it sit for more than 20 minutes.) The curd will look like custard and there will be a clear separation between the curds and whey.

Cut the curds into a 1″ checkerboard pattern.

Put the curds back on the heat, slowly stirring the curds with your ladle. Bring to 110 degrees.

In another pot, heat water to 135 degrees.

Remove curds from heat. Line a sieve with cheese cloth and remove curds from the pot with a slotted spoon. Press the curd gently pouring off as much whey as possible.

Dip curd into hot water bath and form it into a mushy ball.

Once it is cool enough to touch, knead the curds so that it becomes smooth and shiny. (If the cheese breaks apart, dip it back into the hot water bath.)

Add salt and herbs into the cheese and knead it until the seasoning is distributed. Stretch the cheese like taffy.

Form the cheese into whatever shape you’d like and drop the cheese into a cold ice bath.

The Giro brings us into the Lazio region, which is dominated by Roman influence. Roman cooking features cheap, simply prepared, no frills food as, historically, eating was out of necessity.  The cuisine features influences from various cultures, customs and traditions brought together through Rome’s history. But, one thing is for sure,  this region loves its pasta…from fresh egg pasta to hard pastas from the south.

One famous dish, pasta alla carbonara, has its roots in the Lazio region. The development of this recipe is a bit murky and has been linked to charcoal miners (i.e., “coal worker style”), the black pepper that is used in the dish, a restaurant in Rome named “Carbonara” and even the the rumor that black squid ink was a common ingredient. Another theory is that the dish was invented during World War II during ingredient shortages. The American GIs stationed there took the recipe home with them. Quite possibly, it was the Roman version of creating a classic American breakfast for the soldiers, bacon and eggs with pasta, of course!

Regardless of its origins, this recipe has taken on a life of its own and the ingredients vary by region and by country. However,  the basic step remains – adding the egg at the end and letting the hot pasta cook it.

This is my vegetarian version of pasta alla carbonara which uses the classic recipe as a guide. (Obviously, the original recipe did not involve using a toaster oven to cook fake bacon.) I like making this when I’m looking for a quick and hearty meal. Saute onions if you so desire as it adds a little more depth to the dish, but I usually don’t miss the taste and the effort required to chop onions and clean a saute pan.

Megabeth’s Pasta alla Carbonara

- 1 box (8 oz) of whole wheat pasta (spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, etc.)
- 5 – 6 strips of vegetarian bacon
- two eggs (egg substitute equivalent to two eggs)
- two tablespoons capers
- grated parmesean cheese

Prepare pasta per package instructions until al dente. Meanwhile, pre-heat toaster oven (or oven) to 450 degrees. (Note: you can also use a saute pan to cook the bacon until crisp, if preferred.) Spray toaster tray or cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Then spray lightly the top of the “bacon”. Cook each side for about 3 minutes until desired crispiness is achieved. When cooked, cut “bacon” into small bite size pieces.

Crack two eggs in small bowl. Then whisk or beat with fork until blended.

When pasta is done cooking, drain and put in large bowl. Add beaten eggs to bowl and distribute through pasta. Add bacon pieces and capers. (Make sure pasta is still hot when adding the eggs. This is key to ensure the eggs are cooked thoroughly.) Sprinkle parmesean cheese into the pasta until it is coated with it.

Serve with lots of freshly ground pepper and enjoy.

Sticking with the simple Tuscan cooking style, I went with an easy pea dish that brings a pleasant contrast in textures. Don’t let its simplicity of ingredients fool you, it’s a fantastic side dish. I used some day old ciabatta bread for the croutons. These simple croutons came out crisp and flavorful. When added to the dish they soaked up the garlicky liquid from the peas and rounded out the experience.

Simple, quick and flavorful…a true Tuscan dish.

Piselli alla Toscana (Peas Tuscan Style)
from ArtofHackingFood.com

1 16oz bag frozen peas
1 Garlic clove, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 slices of bread, crusts removed
olive oil for frying
Salt and pepper

Pour boiling water over the peas and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Drain.

Put them into a pan and cook them with the garlic in the olive oil over a gentle heat for 3 minutes. Add a little water and turn the heat up for another minute or two, then season with salt and pepper.

Cut the bread into tiny dice and fry in vegetable oil until golden all over. Drain, and dry on kitchen paper.

Toss these croutons into the peas and serve immediately.

The Giro takes us into the region of Tuscany for the next couple of days. We transition from the Piedmont region, where dishes feature heavy peasant food, to an area where simple dishes are king. Sauces and garnishes are used in a way that do not mask the natural flavor of the food. The refined cooking in this region features olive oil and the use of herbs, especially sage, rosemary and basil.

The Tuscans are very fond of cooking beans. That is why I chose this particular dish. The naming of this recipe is truly inspired as its name comes from the seasoning – garlic and sage – which are typically used in chicken dishes. That’s where “uccelletto” comes from. It means “birdy”. So, these are white beans made “birdy style”.  (But, no cooking actual birdies on Veggin’, right?)

The directions and recipe are a compilation of several recipes I found from various sources. My goal was to make this a quick and easy “after work” type meal that you can make after a long day. I used canned white beans and diced tomatoes. If you have a little more time, by all means soak dry beans over night and/or use fresh tomatoes. Either way, I highly recommend using fresh sage over the dried stuff. It’s worth that extra freshness (especially if you’re using canned ingredients.)

Fagioli all’Uccelletto con Sage Polenta
(Beans recipe: by Megabeth)
(Sage Polenta recip: by Adopt a Turkey)

Ingredients for the polenta
5 cups water or light vegetable stock
1 ½ cups polenta
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced fresh sage, or ½ tsp dried sage
½ tsp ground pepper
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (If you’re not familiar with nutritional yeast read this.)
1 tsp sea salt

Ingredients for the beans
2 15oz cans white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

To make the polenta:

In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Gradually whisk in the polenta and whisk constantly for 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to a simmer and add the remaining ingredients.

Continue cooking, whisking every 5 minutes, until the polenta starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 15 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.

For the beans…

In a saucepan or deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and fresh sage. Cook until garlic is soft and not too brown. Add the tomatoes to the skillet and turn down the heat.

Simmer tomatoes for 15 minutes.

Add the white beans to the skillet, add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve beans over the sage polenta.

If you’re willing to sacrifice a glass of wine for this dish, you’ll be rewarded with a great way to serve green beans and tomatoes.

As another stage takes place in the Piedmont region, I wanted to again highlight a dish that takes advantage of the geographical and cultural region. Northern Italian cooking is influenced by the wonderful wines in the region as well as French cuisine. This ratatouille brings the best of both those worlds.

It’s a relatively easy dish to make (save prepping the beans) so you can be back to relaxing after a long bike ride in no time.

Ratatouille di Fagiolini (Ratatouille of French Beans)
adapted from Cibo che Passione

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon basil, chopped
• 2 lbs, green beans
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• pepper
• 14 oz tomatoes, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped
• salt
• 1 glass red wine

Wash and trim the green beans. Chop up the butter with the garlic, parsley and basil and put into a casserole dish.

Add the chopped tomatoes and the beans. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and pour the red wine over the mixture.

Cover and put into oven preheated to 350 degrees. Cook for 30 minutes.

Finally! We made it to Italy! We start out in the Piedmont region where the team time trial (TTT) takes place. The TTT requires heavy work which requires a heavy meal. It’s a good thing because in this region the cuisine is inspired by farmers and peasants where il vino che e pane (the wine that is bread) is nourishment for these hard working people…

Butter is preferred over olive oil due to a strong French influence while polenta and rice, highly cultivated in the Piedmont, are used much more than pasta. Meanwhile, perfumed truffles and mushrooms are featured frequently as they are found in the dark oak forests prevalent in this region. Hearty fruits and vegetables (potatoes, radicchio, cabbage and greens) grow well due to sunny days and warm nights.

I chose a hearty Risotto al Barolo as my first Italian dish as it perfectly embodies the region – it features a wine from the Piedmont region, risotto and butter. It is a warm satisfying dish after a long day of work. You could also add a few drops of truffle oil (or a few shavings of an actual truffle) if so inspired just to round out this dish.

I do know that a lot of you are intimidated by the thought of making risotto. Before you go running and screaming from your kitchen, let me give you this note: Risotto is honestly very easy to make (you just don’t have to reveal this fun fact to the people you are serving.) My preferred method for cooking risotto is different than in this recipe which requires you to simmer the risotto first, drain, then gradually add liquid. My method is the “add liquid a little at a time and don’t stir so often” method. Either way works just fine, I’m just partial to my way. Why? Megabeth prerogative, that’s why.  (If you want to use my method, read my post entitled:  “Risotto: It’s Not That Hard to Make.“) If you use this recipe’s method, be sure to reserve some extra of the vegetable broth you simmer the risotto in. I found that I needed to add more liquid towards the end to soften up the risotto even after adding the wine.

Risotto Al Barolo (Risotto with Barolo)
adapted from The Good Food of Italy

4 cups light vegetable stock
1 2/3 cups Arborrio rice
Salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
4 Tablespoons butter
About 1 1/4 cups Barolo or other good red wine
Grated parmesan

Bring the stock to the boil, add the rice, season with salt and pepper.

Simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, then drain. (Note: Reserve some of the vegetable stock in case you need to add more liquid to the risotto later.)

In the meantime, in another large saucepan, fry the onion in 1 tablespoon of butter until soft and transparent, add the rice.

Pour in the wine a little at a time, and cook, stirring often, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the rice is tender. (Note: Add some of your reserved vegetable stock, little by little, if the rice has not cooked all the way through.) The risotto should be moist and creamy. Stir in the rest of the butter and let it melt in.

Sprinkle in some parmesean and stir until it is melted and creamy. Sprinkle additional cheese on top when serving.

Cycling photo copyrighted. Used with permission.

Today was the last stage in The Netherlands so I’m rounding out the recipes with a hearty soup called Seitanstoofpot with Beer. This dish was created to honor International Labour Day on May 1st, so it’s a Dutch homage to hearty factory worker food which invariably involves beer and meat.  In the Netherlands, instead of Labour Day, they celebrate Koninginnedag on April 30th -  a celebration of the birthday of the Queen’s Mother. The holiday brings folks to the streets dressed in orange much like these fine fellows:

Let me be honest, though, this recipe came out rather…um, not so good. Before I get to that, I wanted to let you in on some amusement I had…

In my research for the Giro stages in the Netherlands, I stumbled across this great Dutch vegetarian site – Vegatopia. To read through the recipes I used Google Translate (Dutch to English) and soon I was lulled into reading interesting grammatical structures from mistranslations.

Google translate sometimes hits the nail on the head, but Dutch seems to give it trouble. You can almost understand it…but then realize you have no idea really what it’s trying to say. (Some of my Podium Cafe readers might recognize this phenomenon as “Fringlish”.)

In particular, this translation of the description of Koninginnedag provided for an asparagus croquettes recipe could better be performed during a poetry reading by a man with a beret and a cigarette hanging out of the side of his mouth, snapping and banging on a bongo in a smoky room.

Queen does for most people: a lot of beer and greasy bites. Want to make sure that happen – besides fat – really delicious?…Guys, I have this year is no sense in Queens. All those stupid people who wander about the streets drunk. Just the idea of a candy.  Muk mountains that people just had to leave the attic. Gruesome forms of happiness. Spoiled children, worse still, cool parents. Bands which are not starting nothing and remain so. Fanfares. Salmonella huge barbecues full mapping satay, which comes from such a nauseating fumes.

Ahhh, yeah. (I do think that if I ever write a song the line “spoiled children, worse still, cool parents” and “gruesome forms of happiness” have got to be in it.)

So, let’s let Google Translate lead us with a description into of Seitanstoofpot with Beer.

Bovendien zorgt het ontbreken van grote stukken vlees ervoor dat de stoofpot niet uren hoeft te garen, maar in een half uurtje klaar is. Vlug in de keuken dus.

Moreover, the absence of large cuts of meat make the stew not have hours to cook, but in half an hour to finish. So get in the kitchen.

Wait, hold on a minute, don’t go into the kitchen so fast with this recipe until you read further.

Beer selection is probably key for this soup to work. In short, it starts off pretty good on the palate then you get a really bitter aftertaste. I had the opportunity to serve this to others besides my in-house taste tester so I was able to get some interesting impressions of this recipe including:

• It needs a starch in it. But, I like what it did to the kidney beans.
• It tasted like it was going to eventually give me a stomach ache.
• It’s a bowl of bitterness but falls short of vitriol.
• It didn’t have a bad aftertaste, it had a bad middletaste and a good beginningtaste.
• It was bilious…that’s why I had to stop eating it.

That said, try this beer soup recipe at your own risk. There has to be something I’m missing in the recipe and maybe Google Translate led me astray. The only liquid in this soup is the beer so that’s the only culprit I could find. Perhaps the beer should be cut with another liquid? If you know of a beer that doesn’t do this funky turn of taste when you cook with it, please let me know.

Now, without further ado, the last of the cuisine from the Netherlands for the Giro…

Seitanstoofpot with Beer
Translated from Vegatopia

2 onions, sliced (Note: This seemed to be a lot of onion. I used only one.)
1/2 cup carrot, thinly sliced
3/4 cup mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup seitan (Note: I used a “chicken” seitan and liked how it soaked up the flavor)
3/4 cup kidney beans (from a jar) (Note: I just dumped in an entire 15 oz can, drained)
2 bottles dark beer
1 1/2 T parsley, chopped
2 T flour
a pat of butter
salt, pepper

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat.  Cook the onions in the butter and turn frequently. Then add carrots and mushrooms and stir occasionally.

After five minutes add the seitan to the pot.  Turn the heat to high and stir occasionally.

Three minutes later, lower the heat and add the beer and some salt and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes with the lid on the pan.

Add the flour into a bowl and get half soup-ladle the liquid from the stew. Put the liquid into the bowl with flour and stir well. Add the flour paste to the stew.

Add the beans and cook another two minutes.

Add the parsley, stir, taste. Add  salt and / or pepper to taste and serve. Serve with bread or brown rice.