Red Beans and Brown Rice with Red Wine-Simmered Seitan
- 4 cups good-quality dry red wine
- 4 cloves garlic, minced and divided in half
- 4 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced and divided in half
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 10 cracked black peppercorns
- 1 pound (16 ounces) seitan, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup dried kidney beans, sorted, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed
- 1 3-inch piece kombu
- Coarse sea salt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped shallots
- 1 cup green bell pepper, cut into 1⁄2-inch dice
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups cooked short-grain brown rice
- White pepper
Instructions:
Taking beans and rice to the next level. This dish goes nicely with the Quinoa-Quinoa Cornbread.
- In a medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the wine, half of the garlic, half of the thyme, the tamari, the peppercorns, and the seitan. Simmer until the seitan has absorbed the wine’s flavor, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain in a colander, and set aside.
- Combine the kidney beans and kombu with enough water to cover them by two inches in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, partially covered, until the beans are tender but not mushy, 11⁄ 2 to 2 hours, adding more water as needed to keep the beans covered. Add 1 teaspoon salt for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- While the beans are cooking, combine the olive oil, the shallots, bell pepper, red pepper flakes, and 1⁄4 teaspoon of salt in a medium-size sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened. Add the remaining garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes, until fragrant. Set aside.
- Drain the beans, reserving 1⁄4 cup of the cooking liquid.
- Return the beans to the saucepan. Add rice, the remaining thyme, the reserved seitan, the cooked vegetables, the reserved cooking liquid, and 1⁄ 2 teaspoon salt. Return the saucepan to the stove and simmer over low heat, stirring well, for 5 minutes, until hot.
- Season with white pepper and additional salt to taste, and serve with your favorite hot sauce.