iEat Green - 11/21/13

My guest is John Halsey, a real hero for Long Island’s farm land. He is the Founder and President of the Peconic Land Trust , a non profit land conservation organization that has saved thousands of acres of farm land from further development, while securing the perpetual protection of that farm land. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of watching a new documentary film called,Growing Farmers, that was produced by the Peconic Land Trust, and talked about our Long Island Farmers, and the struggles that face our new generation of farmers. Basic Seitan 4 cups unbleached white flour 10 cups Whole Wheat flour 2 boxes Vital Wheat Gluten 9 cups water 1 ½ cup tamari 2” ginger piece 3 pieces kombu Mix together flour, Vital Wheat Gluten and water to make a dough. Knead until stiff, approx 10 min. Place in bowl and cover with cold water. Allow to rest for 10 min. Meanwhile, bring 10 cups of water to a boil. Add tamari, ginger and kombu. Boil for 15 min. and remove from heat. Allow broth to cool. Immerse dough in a bowl of warm water and knead to remove starch, constantly changing the water, until it runs clear. (It will take about 8 water changes or more) The final rinse should be in cold water, to tighten the dough. Separate into 4 equal pieces. Place dough in oiled loaf pans and let rest for 10 minutes. Bring 10 quarts of water to a boil. Add seitan dough and cook for 45 minutes, until the seitan floats in the water. Drain. Place Seitan in cooled Tamari broth, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 hours. Drain, saving liquid for storage. Experiment with different flavors, adding garlic and oregano for Italian food, or more ginger and cilantro for Asian food etc.