The idea for this dish came from a recipe posted in Helsingin Sanomat, although we didn’t actually follow the recipe at all. All that was taken was the concept of braising Brussels sprouts and apples in cider. You could do this with other veggies too — we tried this dish also with chunks of butternut squash. Basically, you just chop up your veggies into bite sized chunks and braise on a pan with low heat and about 2-3dl of cider until nice and tender. Brussels sprouts work extremely well in this, and the apple chunks add a nice brightness (but make sure not to cook them too long). We also caramelized some onions before throwing in the cider and other veggies. The choice of cider is crucial, you want a nice and robust, ‘woody’ cider for this. We used Sheppy’s, which worked like a charm. One of the best dishes I’ve cooked this autumn for sure, to be revisited no doubt! We served it with peppered seitan steaks and barley.

Brussels Sprouts & Apples in Cider

Restaurant Day is a great Finnish idea that was first organized in May 2011. The idea is that for one day, cities are filled with pop-up restaurants by amateurs, or anyone who wishes to participate. The movement started from Helsinki, but it has now spread over the world; last time there were over 700 pop-up restaurants.

Fresh Seitan Sandwich

I’ve checked out some of these restaurants in Helsinki in previous occasions — and I quite like the idea — but one problem seemed to be that there were still too few of them and many of the restaurants were overwhelmed. This was the case especially with vegan pop-ups. I thought it might be nice to participate in one of these events some day, but with my small kitchen and no assistance, it wasn’t a very serious idea. However, now that Elizabeth is in Finland (and her amazing bakery skills with her!), we thought that it might be time to give it a shot.

Hawaiian Seitan Sandwich

So, behold the Catchy Adjective Vegan Deli, which will emerge on my backyard in Kallio, Helsinki, this Sunday, 19 August, from 11am until 4pm! The cooks are myself and Elizabeth, and we will be serving all-vegan food and bakery. There will be a choice of two seitan sandwiches and two muffins/cupcakes, as well a selection of drinks. The seitan and sauces are homemade from scratch, as is the bakery. We made a test batch of the sandwiches today and they turned out very tasty indeed — not to be missed if you’re in Helsinki this weekend!

We’ll make a test batch of Vanilla Scented Blueberry Muffins tomorrow; the Carrot Cupcake recipe is already tried and tested.

Join the event on facebook, spread the word, and come find us in Kallio this Sunday!

Here’s the event description, with menu details:

Sunday, 19 August 2012
11:00 until 16:00

Aadolfinkatu 7, Kallio, Helsinki

For one day only (Restaurant Day), an all-vegan deli in the heart of Kallio, just opposite the Harjutori Sauna. Featuring delicious and classic Take Away sandwiches and dessert. Only 100 servings, come early!

Menu:
Fresh Seitan Sandwich: 5€
-Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, Special BBQ Sauce, Rye Bun
Hawaiian Seitan Sandwich: 5€
-Grilled Pineapple, Tangy Teriyaki Sauce, Oat Bun
Vanilla Scented Blueberry Muffin: 2€
Carrot Cupcake: 2€
Drinks: 1€

Google Map: http://goo.gl/maps/WrfFb

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Ravintolapäiväksi Kallioon, Harjutorin saunaa vastapäätä, syntyy täysin vegaaninen deli, joka tarjoaa herkullisia & klassisia Take Away voileipiä ja jälkiruokia. Vain 100 annosta, tule ajoissa!

Menu:
Tuore Seitan Voileipä: 5€
-Salaatti, Tomaatti, Punasipuli, Erikois BBQ-kastike, Ruissämpylä
Hawajilainen Seitan Voileipä: 5€
-Grillattu Ananas, Hapanimelä Teriyakikastike, Kaurasämpylä
Vaniljantuoksuinen Mustikkamuffinssi: 2€
Porkkana Cupcake: 2€
Juomat: 1€

Google Kartta: http://goo.gl/maps/WrfFb

It has been forever since this dish was cooked (back in Chapel Hill), but I wanted to post a picture of it anyway since it may just be the best seitan dish I’ve cooked so far. Doesn’t look like much, but the seitan, which was originally made by replacing the liquid with the excellent Founders Porter (link to my review on BeerAdvocate), was lush! The seitan pieces were dipped into a mixture of soy yogurt and the same Founders Porter, and then deep fried in canola oil. Since this was just done in a pot rather than a deep frier, it was key to get the temperature of the oil right. It was pretty rich, but it went well with the mashed cauliflower and collard greens. Naturally, I had it with Founders Porter!

Beer Battered Seitan

This dish has some obvious French influences, but without the unhealthy and meaty connotations.

Seitan and Pearl Onions in Red Wine Sauce 1

Ingredients
2-4 Seitan Steaks
~20 Pearl Onions
1-2dl of Red Wine
Bunch of Collard Greens
1 Cup of Tri-Color Quinoa
French Herbs

Serves two.

Cooking
Time required: ~45min (if using prepared seitan)
-Peel the pearl onions and sauteé in red wine with some French herbs until tender.
-Chop the seitan steaks into chunks of desired size and brown on a separate pan, adding red wine towards the end
-Prepare the collard greens separately and season to taste; they take a while to cook down.
-Cook the quinoa in a pot or a rice cooker.

Seitan and Pearl Onions in Red Wine Sauce 2

Another dish with homemade seitan. I wanted to try how it would work with a red wine sauce, and the results were excellent. I do sometimes use red wine in cooking, but most often in pasta sauces. The seitan soaked up the flavours nicely and produced a very “meaty” dish. I used Californian Pinot Noir. I haven’t really cooked with Pearl Onions before, but after this sweet encounter I might use them as well more often; not only did they improve with the wine, but they also got a nice colour. The collards were cooked in a bit too much salt this time, but ideally they would also complement this dish very well. This was certainly one of the most enjoyable dishes that we’ve cooked this year.