The Post in Which I Rework an Old Fave-Vegan Salisbury Steak

Back in my meat-noshing days, I was never exactly what you would call an appreciator of fine foods. Not a gourmet, moi. I leaned more toward the hamburger than the caviar. In fact, one thing I have to confess to have loved beyond what is normal is cheap ass frozen dinners. The cheaper they were, the more I loved them. I'd get Swanson dinners on sale for ninety-seven cents and fill the freezer with them. Logically, I knew that what I was getting was the absolute bottom of the barrel in terms of ingredients, but try to tell my taste buds that.

Salisbury Steak, that mystery-meat treat, was one of my faves. Lately, I'd been yearning for that same type of culinary experience, the salty instant potatoes, the vaguely steak-like patty, swimming temptingly in the mysterious sauce (not quite tomato sauce, not quite gravy.. what was that stuff, anyway?) I had ruminated for a while on how best to capture the essence of that Salisbury Steak patty without using meat. (And really, I'm not quite sure how much meat was in it to begin with. )

And then it hit me: Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce. And No Name brand, of course, to add to the whole Trailer-Parkishness of it all.

Vegan Salisbury Steak

(Serves six Rednecks with an appetite for trash!)

First, prepare the TVP:

Mix 1/2 cup water with 1 Tbsp ketchup and 1 Tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

Then add 1/3 cup TVP

Set aside.

Next, prepare the wet mix:

In a blender, mix together:

1/2 14 oz can baked beans in tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

1 Tbsp Soya Sauce

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

2 Tbsp beefy-style boullion

1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp paprika

1 Tbsp oil

Blend until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add:

1/4 cup rolled oats

1 1/4 cups gluten flour.

Mix in the TVP and the wet mix. Stir, then knead until smooth. You may need to add up to 1/4 cup more gluten to make a smooth ball.

Allow to sit, covered with a tea towel, about twenty minutes or so. Form into six "steakette" sized patties.

Next, make the sauce:

2 1/4 cups water

1 Tbsp oil

2 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbsp soya sauce

1 Tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

1/3 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 Tbsp beefy-style boullion

Mix well, then pour over the steakettes. Cover with foil and cook in a 300 degree oven for 60 minutes, turning once or twice. Sauce should be thick by the time this is done; if not, remove foil and cook, uncovered, for another five minutes.

What you end up with is a nice, firm steakette-like patty in a rich sauce, (not quite gravy, not quite tomato sauce) that is eerily reminiscent of the slop I remember with such fondness.

And how to serve up such a treat? On a TV tray, of course!

Num num num num...Jeezus, that was delicious! And the Omni Inlaws liked it too...:0)