Just like anything, there are multiple ways to prepare seitan, but for this recipe I chose to bake the seitan into "sausages" with a traditional Italian flavor profile. If you don't feel like making the seitan, you could buy prepared vege sausages, but it's cheaper and healthier to make it yourself. And if you're not a vegetarian, I am sure this recipe would be very good with actual sausage, removed from the casing when cooked.
There are three main things you need to prepare for this recipe: the sausages, a very simple marinara, and the roasted (or grilled) vegetables. Of course, you also have to cook the pasta but that's kind of a given for any pasta dish.
*****This is a multi-step recipe so, as you should with any recipe, be sure to read it through before starting to cook so that you can be prepared for all the steps. The last thing you want to do is end up with a pan of cooked sauce before you've even brought your pasta water to a boil.*****
First, prepare the sausages. Combine in a spice grinder:
1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper, 1-1/2 tbsp dried parsley, 1 tbsp dried basil, 3/4 tbsp dried oregano, 3/4 tbsp dried thyme, 1 tbsp red chili flake, 1/2 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp fennel seeds, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp brown sugar
After grinding together, combine with 3 cups Vital Wheat Gluten Flour. Mix well then add 2 cups water. Knead the "dough" well to form a nice consistent ball. Split into medium size sausages. Coat the sausages with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and wrap tightly in aluminum foil, twisting the ends to seal them like in a casing.
In an oven preheated to 350 dF, bake the sausages on a sheet pan. They will generally tell you when they are done when they burst the foil open from expanding and the steam pressure. If you want to dry them out a bit more, open the foil completely once they burst and let them cook for a few more minutes.
At the same time, prepare a simple marinara of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a minced clove of garlic, a can of crushed Italian tomatoes, a tablespoon of dried basil or a handful of ripped fresh basil leaves if available, and a pinch of sea salt. Allow the sauce to simmer while you prepare the rest of the recipe. If you need further instructions on this, comment below and I'll help you out.
Meanwhile, prepare the eggplant, peppers and garlic:
For the eggplant, slice a medium sized eggplant into rounds, salt heavily and place in a colander while you cook the sausages. After they've sat for a half hour or so, coat them with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and place them on a sheet pan. Oil and lightly salt a large sliced red bell pepper (or two smaller ones) and arrange on said pan. Break off 4 cloves of garlic from the bulb but leave them in their skin and add to any free space on the pan.
After the sausages have cooked, raise the oven temperature to 400 dF and cook the vegetables until they are tender. Remove from the oven, cut the eggplant rounds into quarters and the peppers into smaller pieces. Remove the garlic from the skins and smash under a heavy knife.
Finally, assemble the final sauce. Add two tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to a frying pan. Add the crushed roasted garlic and bring to the flame. Dice a medium yellow onion then add to heated oil. Cook over medium heat until translusent. Dice the cooked sausage and add to the pan to crisp a bit. Allow to cook for a few minutes then add the roasted peppers. Start ladeling in the prepared marinara until it forms a nice consistent sauce. This is not pasta with tomato sauce, you just want a enough to bring it all together. Finally add, the eggplant. Use care not smash the tender eggplant into a pulp.
By this point, your pasta, cooked in boiling salted water, should be al dente. Remove from the water then add the pasta back to the now empty cooking pot. Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix well but with care.
Serve in a pasta bowl topped with Pecorino Romano cheese. Enjoy!
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