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Rediscovering Sheffield Seitan, an Old-Fashioned Vegetarian Protein From a Lyndon Kitchen
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/food-drink/rediscovering-sheffield-seitan-an-old-fashioned-vegetarian-protein-from-a-lyndon-kitchen-41287235Rediscovering Sheffield Seitan, an Old-Fashioned Vegetarian Protein From a Lyndon Kitchen
By RACHEL STEARNS
Published July 2, 2024 at 1:27 p.m.
Seitan kebabs on the grill - RACHEL STEARNS
Browsing the shelves of City Market, Onion River Co-op's South End location, I found an object in the freezer section that gave me pause. It was an amorphous brown blob of seitan with a label that boasted, "Vermont Owned Family Business Since 1979." Thinking it would be an economical choice for quick lunches, I threw a $9.99 "pounder" in my cart.
Seitan, a wheat gluten-based alternative protein sometimes called "wheat meat," evokes 1970s hippie food, unless it's masquerading as meat in a trendy, ready-made product such as fake chorizo or beef crumbles. Christina Denby has made her Sheffield Seitan in Lyndon for upwards of four decades. Her product doesn't pretend to be anything but what it is: "Organic wheat gluten, cooked in natural soy sauce, spices, and water." And the simplicity is magic.
"It's unique and a step above any seitan I've ever encountered," said Tim Elliott, co-owner of Zabby & Elf's Stone Soup in Burlington. He has been cooking with Sheffield Seitan since about 1992, back when he ran the vegetarian deli at the long-gone Origanum Natural Foods on Main Street.
Elliott appreciates the product's versatility, he said. It's large enough that he can cut it thin on a meat slicer before he marinates it in maple syrup and tamari and layers it on bread for the popular veggie Reuben sandwich. He also creates seitan pepper "steaks" with the slicer and runs the seitan through a cheese grater so it can mimic ground beef in specials such as Cuban stew.
[...]
By RACHEL STEARNS
Published July 2, 2024 at 1:27 p.m.
Seitan kebabs on the grill - RACHEL STEARNS
Browsing the shelves of City Market, Onion River Co-op's South End location, I found an object in the freezer section that gave me pause. It was an amorphous brown blob of seitan with a label that boasted, "Vermont Owned Family Business Since 1979." Thinking it would be an economical choice for quick lunches, I threw a $9.99 "pounder" in my cart.
Seitan, a wheat gluten-based alternative protein sometimes called "wheat meat," evokes 1970s hippie food, unless it's masquerading as meat in a trendy, ready-made product such as fake chorizo or beef crumbles. Christina Denby has made her Sheffield Seitan in Lyndon for upwards of four decades. Her product doesn't pretend to be anything but what it is: "Organic wheat gluten, cooked in natural soy sauce, spices, and water." And the simplicity is magic.
"It's unique and a step above any seitan I've ever encountered," said Tim Elliott, co-owner of Zabby & Elf's Stone Soup in Burlington. He has been cooking with Sheffield Seitan since about 1992, back when he ran the vegetarian deli at the long-gone Origanum Natural Foods on Main Street.
Elliott appreciates the product's versatility, he said. It's large enough that he can cut it thin on a meat slicer before he marinates it in maple syrup and tamari and layers it on bread for the popular veggie Reuben sandwich. He also creates seitan pepper "steaks" with the slicer and runs the seitan through a cheese grater so it can mimic ground beef in specials such as Cuban stew.
[...]