Battle: Stuffing

Iron Chef this week, like last week, is an actual prepared dish instead of ingredients (the challenge was sushi, but I stuck to the "rice and seaweed" directive). I was going to head out and get a pumpkin to roast, but was driven back inside due to the snow. It wasn't the fluffy-cuddle-up-in-a-blankie-drinking-cocoa snowfall. It was a miserable, wet, grey, melty snow. Just a little bit away from being a cold fall piss of rain. Screw that.

This is one of those meals that started off as one thing, and slowly evolved into another. After I'd already baked the sage bread, left it in an unheated oven all night to harden, made the veg stock, cooked the shallots and mushrooms, and scooped everything into a casserole dish, did I suddenly remember: It's stuffing. Not dressing. I was ready to dump some on a plate next to some seitan cutlets from Veganomicon, so I had to think fast. Oh, and it had to be pumpkin-y! Fork!

A couple of knife moves later, I came up with Seitan Cutlets with Pecan-Mushroom stuffing and Pumpkin Gravy.



I actually used my dining room table tonight for the first time. I am so deliciously full. I can't wait to make this for Thanksgiving! The gravy is your standard broth-olive oil-cornstarch gravy with pumpkin purée whisked in. Some salt and pepper, and it's fantastic. I am so eating this with mashed potatoes tomorrow.