Holiday Recipes

The Waldorf's Seitan Wellington with Eggplant Confit and Roasted Vegetable Sauce
Serves 8

Roasted Vegetable Sauce
1 ounce olive oil
4 cups water
1 onion, sliced
1 tbsp garlic, crushed
1 small carrot, peeled and sliced
1 small celery root, peeled and diced
1 fennel, diced
1 small turnip, peeled and diced
4 ounces mushrooms, quartered
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups red wine
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs marjoram
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil until golden brown. Add the remaining vegetables and continue to cook until light brown. Add the tomato paste and the red wine and reduce until the wine is almost completely evaporated and is a paste consistency. Add water and bring to a boil. Add the herbs and allow to simmer until the sauce reduces to 2 or 3 cups.

Pass the sauce through a food mill or place in a blender and puree. Return the sauce to the stove and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Strain the sauce through a fine strainer or cheesecloth-lined colander and keep warm until needed.

Eggplant Confit
2 small eggplants, cut into 16 slices
Olive oil for frying
Coarse sea salt
1 cup sherry vinegar
½ cup sweetener
5 crushed peppercorns
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 bay leaf
1 rosemary sprig
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Combine the vinegar, sweetener, ginger, peppercorns, and the herbs. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain and reserve the liquid. Salt eggplant on both sides with coarse sea salt. Let stand 30 minutes. Wipe off salt and fry eggplant in the olive oil until golden brown on both sides. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Discard the olive oil from the pan and add the reserved liquid and simmer for a few minutes. Remove and add to the eggplant. Allow to marinate for 24 hours.

Seitan
1 pound seitan
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup tamarind
¼ cup olive oil
1 tbsp garlic, minced
½ tbsp parsley, chopped
½ tbsp basil, chopped
½ tsp thyme, chopped
fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Cut the seitan into scaloppini-size pieces and marinate in the refrigerator with all ingredients above. Cook on a grill on both sides and set aside to cool.

Seitan Wellington
8 pieces Puff pastry, rolled into 6" x 6"

In 3 ½ inch ring molds or muffin tins, arrange the puff pastry to cover the bottom and sides. Place a slice of eggplant on top of the dough, followed by seitan pieces and topped with another slice of eggplant. Fold the dough over the eggplant to form a neat package in the shape of the muffin tin or ring mold.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the Wellingtons from the molds and turn upside down, so the folds are on the bottom. Bake on a wax paper-lined pan until dough is golden. Allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Drizzle Roasted Vegetable Sauce around Wellington and serve immediately.