One day I had unexpected company coming for dinner and a pretty light pantry. They were arriving within the hour. My husband grabbed the vacuum and I perused the inventory. I had chicken style seitan, onions, a bag of frozen organic peas, and a box of puff pastry shells leftover from the holidays. There is almost always lettuce in the refrigerator. Now, seitan "chicken" in puff pastry shells has ended up being a quick go to dinner for us. You can vary the veggies, but baby peas are our favorite. Though we eat 99% fresh vegetables, I do keep a bag of frozen peas in the freezer for emergencies. The recipe doubles easily.
- About 1 pound of chicken seitan, homemade or store bought. The package I used was 1 pound, 2 oz, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 small onion or 1/2 medium, chopped
- Small bag of frozen peas, thawed. You probably won't use the whole bag but you can refrig what's left and use it the next day.
- 3 tbllsp margarine or grapeseed oil
- 3 tblsp. flour
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional - thyme or herbes de Provence or rosemary
- Puff Pastry Shells - check the ingredients on the brand you buy. I get mine from the natural foods co-op
- Bake puff pastry shells according to package instructions.
- In the meantime, saute onion in the margarine or oil. Grapeseed oil has a fantastic buttery taste, but any fat of your choice should work.
- When soft, whisk in flour and cook, stirring, until mixture is gold in color, and looks rich.
- Gradually add vegetable broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and thick.
- Lower to a simmer and add seitan and as many peas as like.
- Season with salt, pepper and herbs if desired. Simmer until seitan and peas are heated through.
- If too thick add a little more broth.
- When heated through, ladle mixture into baked shells.
- Make sure you remove the little "lid" first.
- Place "lids" on top of filling and serve with a green salad or vegetables of your choice. Enjoy!
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I'll bet tasty.
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It looks elegant, yet is ridiculously quick if you have seitan in your fridge. Sometimes I make it, other times I buy a reputable brand:)