the freedom dip

Herbed Focaccia Bread

I've been hankering for a French Dip sandwich for a few days now. And not just any old. I've been dreaming about a certain 12 dollar sandwich found at a certain fancy lil restaurant. But at the moment, spending twelve dollars on a sandwich would be a poor decision on my part. So I had to make do with something a little more homemade.

I banged out a couple rounds of focaccia today and used the seitan that I baked last night. This is me jumping on the baked seitan blogwagon. It's everywhere. And well it should be. Boil your seitan no more.

Seitan Portobello French Dip with Carmelized Onions

French Dip Sandwiches
serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon maple syrup
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 portobello caps, thinly sliced
2 cups seitan, thinly sliced
2 cups water
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon soy margarine (Earth Balance)
salt & pepper to taste
crusty bread for 4 sandwiches

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large, heavy skillet (preferably cast iron.) Saute for about ten minutes until onions begin to turn translucent and golden. Drizzle the maple syrup in and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and portobello slices, combine well. Add water and soy sauce and bring to a slow simmer. Add margarine and salt and pepper to taste. Add seitan and cover skillet for 5-10 minutes until seitan is thoroughly heated.

Toast bread, if desired. Using tongs, heap seitan onto a piece of bread. Smother with mushroom and carmelized onion and top with a second piece of bread. Serve with a small bowl of the cooking broth for dipping.