how to make a seitan confit
In searching for an interesting way to use seitan I discovered that it’s frequently used as a vegetarian replacement for duck. When I think of duck, I think of duck confit—or at least I do now, because this has been a really involved project of which I am unclear my reasons for pursuing.
Obviously, I decided to make a confit with my homemade seitan. It turned out fantastic, the seitan is delicious and could be used in many different ways or eaten plain. And the confit I made with canola oil was still good and was vegetarian.
I, of course, preferred the confit made with rendered duck fat.
To make either confit you need a good bit of seitan and a good deal of fat. First you salt the seitan and cover it with bay leaves, cloves, and other spices you find intriguing and let it marinate over night.
After 24 hours, take it out of the fridge and leave it on cookie racks so that it has a chance to dry.
After it has dried (4-5 hours), fill a pan with fat (either animal or vegetable) and submerge the seitan. Bring the pan to a low simmer.
When the fat starts simmering, put the pan in the oven and bake it at the lowest temperature possible for 2 hours.
Remove the pan from the oven and pour the liquid into a heat proof container. Add the seitan. The mixture ought to remain fresh for a few weeks.
