Crispy Seitan Scaloppine Piccata

I can't believe it has taken me this long to post this recipe for you. Carlos and I both grew up eating breaded crispy scaloppine, and when I made this recipe for the first time we couldn't believe how much it resembled the traditional one made with meat (not that it has to, I’m just saying it will make you have childhood flashbacks, Ratatouille-food-critic style).

This seitan scaloppini is meaty, chewy, crispy, high in protein and so filling, and the sauce just takes it to a whole other level. Carlos and I have to fight over the leftovers whenever I make these, and he will kill me if I don't tell you that the scaloppine on their own makes for the perfect sandwich filling. I know you will absolutely love this one and so will the meat eaters in your life (this is my mother in law's favorite, and she's as hardcore carnivore as they get). I recommend making it with some mashed potatoes on the side, it's just divine when you get to pour the lemon caper sauce on top of everything.

In this video I also give you my go-to technique for making anything that is breaded, with an egg substitute that includes only two ingredients that you probably already have in the house.

Ingredients

For the scaloppine:

• 1 package seitan (300gr / 10.5 oz)
• 1/2  cup flour
• 1/2  cup breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2  teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2  teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4  cup non-dairy milk
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• High heat oil for frying the scaloppine (canola, safflower, sunflower etc.)

For the sauce:

• 1/3  cup dry white wine
• 3/4  cup vegetable broth
• 1 lemon, cut into slices
• 1/2  a lemon, juiced
• 1/4  cup capers
• 1 tablespoon non-dairy butter
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Carefully slice the seitan using a serrated knife so that you have thin scaloppine (the thinner they are the crunchier they’ll be, the thicker they are the chewier they’ll be, so cut them to your liking!).

2. In a deep dish, mix the flour, breadcrumbs, thyme, oregano, salt, freshly ground pepper and garlic powder.

3. In a small pot whisk together the non-dairy milk and cornstarch and bring it to a boil, being careful that it does not overflow as this can happen easily with milk. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium and whisk constantly, cook for about 2 minutes or until you see that the milk has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and place it in a bowl.

4. Heat a large non-stick pan on high heat and add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

5. Take a seitan scaloppine and dip it in the milk mixture, then dip it into the flour mixture and coat the entire surface, shaking any excess off slightly.

6. Once the oil is hot and it sizzles when you drop a bit of flour in, you can start adding your breaded scaloppine to the pan. You’ll have to cook them in batches, possibly adding a bit more oil to the pan between batches.

7. Cook the scaloppine without moving them until the bottom is golden brown, then flip carefully using some tongs and cook until golden brown on the second side. Then remove your first batch of scaloppine from the pan and place them on a plate lined with paper towels while you cook the next batch.

8. Once you’ve cooked all your scaloppine, you’ll start adding the sauce ingredients to the same pan (if there’s a lot of oil in the pan you can remove most of it with a spoon, although generally you won’t have a lot of oil left in the pan at this point). Carefully add the wine while you scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, let it cook down for 1 minute, then add the vegetable broth and lemon slices and let the sauce reduce approximately by half.

9. Once your sauce has reduced, add the non-dairy butter, lemon juice, capers, parsley, season with salt and pepper, and serve next to your scaloppine so that everyone can spoon it over their scaloppine right before eating. This dish is amazing served with mashed potatoes, but enjoy it however you like! Any leftovers should be re-heated in the oven so that the scaloppine regain some of their crispy texture. Enjoy!