and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the shells are easily pierced with a fork. Turn off the oven and set the broiler on high. Spread the not-zzarella evenly across the top, sprinkle on the parmesan topping, and place the dish under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, until the topping is slightly browned. Garnish with the remaining 2 teaspoons of basil. Serve.
OYSTER MUSHROOM RISOTTO
Make this one, ladies, and I guarantee that you will get into your man’s pants. I know it’s tough for you girls to get laid sometimes, and I’m here to help.
Serves 4
8 cups vegetable stock
Two 2-by-4-inch pieces wakame, (see WTF, next page)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup minced shallot
½ cup diced celery
Salt
4 tablespoons vegan margarine
1 pound oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
Freshly ground pepper
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1½ cups arborio rice
2 cups prosecco
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
¼ cup thinly sliced scallions (tops only), for garnish
In a saucepan, bring the vegetable stock and wakame to a simmer. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, and add the shallot, celery, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the shallot is soft and translucent. While your shallot and celery are cooking, heat another medium skillet over medium-high heat and melt the margarine. When it’s melted, drop in the mushrooms. Toss them in the margarine, and let them cook on one side until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt, some pepper, and the lemon juice, and give it all a toss. Continue cooking the mushrooms, tossing occasionally, for 6 to 8 more minutes, until they are completely tender. Set aside.
When the shallots in the first skillet are translucent, stir in the rice. Cook, stirring frequently, until the edges of the rice become slightly translucent, 3 to 4 minutes, then add the prosecco. With a wooden spoon, stir the rice in a clockwise motion (unless you’re left-handed, or in the Southern Hemisphere…actually, it doesn’t really matter, just pick whichever direction feels most natural and stick with it). When the pan is almost completely dry, add ½ cup of the heated vegetable stock (omitting the wakame) and continue stirring. When the pan is almost dry again, add another ½ cup of the stock and continue stirring. Repeat this process until the rice is soft and creamy but not completely mushy…or as we fancy-schmancy chefs like to say, “al dente.” You may not need all the vegetable stock. The total cooking time for the rice will be about 20 minutes.
When the rice is done cooking, turn off the heat and stir in the mushrooms and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste, pile high on a serving plate, and garnish with the scallions.
WTF is wakame?
In addition to being a really fun word to say, wakame (pronounced WAH-kuh-may) is an edible seaweed that lends a subtly-sweet-yet-salty-from-the-sea flavor to soups, sauces, and broths. Find it in a Japanese market, in the Asian section of your grocery store, or on the interwebs.
GRILLED SEITAN CAPONATA WITH LEMON PILAF
This dish, I admit, is quite a production, but it is impressive. If you want to save time, you can make the caponata and marinate the seitan the day before. Then you can just reheat the caponata and grill the seitan right before serving. And if you really don’t feel like doing the whole caponata thing, a hearty store-bought marinara sauce will also work.
Serves 4
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
8 Basic Seitan Cutlets (see recipe, pages 24–25 )
Salt and pepper
4 cups Lemon Pilaf (recipe follows)
2 cups Caponata (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons fresh basil chiffonade (see WTF, page 103 ), for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish
Combine the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, and rosemary in a large zip-top bag. Add the seitan cutlets,