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Holy hotdog, do these Bangin’ Bangers with Rutabaga Mash hit the spot! For the longest time, I have wanted to make this British/Irish dish because it is the epitome of comfort food for me! There is nothing better than a heaping bowl of rutabaga mash paired with savory gravy and topped with a bangin’ banger. Swoon
What exactly is seitan?
Seitan (pronounced as say-tan, not satan) is a beautiful base for commercially available meat alternative products. When you are jonesin’ for tofurkey, meatless frankfurters, or fakin’ bacon, you are eating seitan. Because it doesn’t exist in nature on its own, it is technically a processed food. However, it’s not high in calories, sugar, or fat. I only purchase alternative meats when I am in a pinch for time to put dinner on the table. But, when I have time to devote to cooking, I make it from scratch.
Seitan is made by rinsing away the starch in wheat dough, leaving the high-protein gluten behind, which can be labor-intensive. So, if you have Celiac disease or are sensitive to gluten, you might want to stay away from it. Luckily, we can purchase vital wheat gluten powder to make the seitan-making process simpler!
Here’s how you get your bangers on.
Bangin’ Bangers
Firstly, you want to prepare all of your vegetables, spices, and herbs that will go into your bangers. Once you get the hang of making these, you will find yourself experimenting with other flavor combinations. For this recipe, I use yellow onion, fresh garlic, Honeycrisp apple, fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, and fennel seeds.
Once I cook down the banger ingredients, I add them to the other ingredients in a food processor. When you process wet ingredients with the vital wheat gluten, it will form into a beautiful doughy ball.
The dough will be a bit sticky, but that’s okay. Once you knead the dough a few times (careful not to over-knead), cut it into 6-8 pieces. Form each one in a lengthy shape and wrap with aluminum foil. Baking at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes will steam the seitan to a gorgeous firmness. And don’t worry if one or two “bang” in the oven from steam pressure. They won’t be bangin’ if they don’t bang, am I right?
The recipe below may seem like a lot, but you must make it at least once! It is so satisfying and filling, you will want to add it to your list of favorite comfort food recipes. Give it a go!
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Bangin’ Bangers With Rutabaga Mash
This comfort-filled dish is one of those recipes that you won’t mind taking the time to prepare. I usually make a batch of bangers and freeze them in lots of two for when I am ready to eat them. They are perfect for a hearty grilled hotdog or sliced up and sauteéd for a pasta toss with lots of veggies. It is best to make these in advance so they will be more firm when you’re ready to eat them. The bangers can be frozen for up to 2 months.
*There is no set prep or cook time for this dish as we all work at different speeds. And, by making the bangers ahead of time, you will save time in the kitchen when you’re ready to enjoy this recipe.
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Ingredients
For Bangers
1 cup yellow onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2 Honeycrisp apple, peeled and chopped
2 tbsps fresh parsley, chopped
2 tsps fennel seeds
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsps olive oil
2 cups vital wheat gluten
8 oz firm tofu
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tsps kosher salt
1 tsp each of black pepper, paprika, and ground mustard
2 tsps blue agave nectar
2 tbsps tamari
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
For Rutabaga Mash
1 large rutabaga, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsps vegan butter
For Tahini Gravy
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 shallot, finely chopped
olive oil spray
2 tbsps tahini
1/4 tsp each gorund nutmeg, kosher salt, and black pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme, stems removed
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsps tamari sauce
1 tbsp blue agave nectar
2 tbsps vegan worchestershire
1 tsp arrowroot powder (for thickening)
Instructions
To make bangers
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat a small skillet over medium heat and spray a bit of olive or avocado oil into pan. Add onion and sauté for about 4 minutes or until the onion becomes softened. Then, add garlic, apple, parsley, fennel, and red pepper flakes and cook for a few more minutes. You may need to turn the heat down a little so not to burn the garlic.
Once the apple/onion mixture is softened, add to a food processor along with one cup of the vital wheat gluten and the rest of the ingredients. Process until the mixture a few seconds, then add the other cup of vital wheat gluten and continue to process until mixture forms a ball. Remove from the processor and place on a counter to knead a few times. Be sure not to over-knead! If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle with a small amount of vital wheat gluten.
Slice the dough into 6-8 smaller pieces. Form each piece into a hotdog shape and roll a sheet of foil around the seitan hotdog, twisting each end like a candy wrapper. Place wrapped bangers onto a baking sheet with space between them and bake for about 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven, unwrap, and let cool 30 minutes before storing in fridge.
To make rutabaga mash
*There are two ways you can cook the rutabaga: steaming or boiling. I prefer using a pot with a steamer basket insert. This method does the least damage to nutrient loss of your veggies!
Fill a pot with 2 inches of water and cover with lid. Place pot over medium-high heat and let boil. Add chopped rutabaga into the steamer insert and add to the top of the pot once the water is boiling. Cover and let steam for about 15-20 minutes.
Remove rutabaga from the steam basket and place in a food processor. Add salt, pepper, and vegan butter. Process until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, scoop mash out and place in a smaller sauce pan with lid to keep warm. Adjust season to taste. Set aside.
To make gravy
Heat a small sauce pan over medium-high heat. Spray with olive oil or avocado spray and saute´shallots with garlic for a minute or two. Remove from heat and add tahini along with the rest of the ingredients except arrowroot. Whisk mixture together until tahini is broken down and incorporated in well. Place the sauce pan back on the stove top. Reduce heat to low and let the gravy simmer for a few minutes. Slowly stir in the arrowroot powder (making sure you work out any lumps from the tahini and arrowroot) and let the gravy begin to thicken. Once the gravy is the consistency you like, add the butter and stir until melted. The gravy should be silky and smooth. Cover with lid to keep warm until ready to serve.
To prepare the dish
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Spray the pan with olive oil or avocado spray and add 2-4 bangers. Cook bangers for a few minutes, then rotate with tongs until they are golden brown on each side.
To plate, spoon a generous amount of the rutabaga mash onto a bowl. Spoon gravy over and around the mash, then place 1-2 bangers on top. Drizzle more gravy over the top before serving.
- Category: main dish
- Cuisine: comfort food
