Kale with seitan bacon and Mediterranean mashed potatoes

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 600 g kale, fresh
• 2 m.-sized onion(s)
• 150 g seitan, e.g. “Seitan Roast” from Wheaty
• 600 g floury potatoes
• 100 g olives, black and green, preserved in oil
• 75 g arugula
• 25 g parsley
• 50 g oat cream (oat cream cuisine)
• olive oil
• Allspiceón de la Vera
• Celery powder
• Salt
• pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Rest time approx. 5 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

vegan, hearty

Peel the potatoes and boil in a little salted water until tender. Thoroughly clean the kale and roughly chop it, removing only the very thick, possibly woody ends of the stalks. Otherwise, make sure it is cut into bite-sized pieces. Roughly chop the onions (approx. 1-2 cm pieces). Cut the seitan roast into 1-2 cm cubes. Sauté half of the onions in a medium-sized pot in olive oil, seasoning well with salt. As soon as they start to brown, add the kale and “stuff it in.” It may seem like a lot at first, but it will shrink quickly. Grind the pepper over the onions, stir, and saute for a few more minutes until enough liquid has released, then simmer over low heat. Sauté the other half of the onions in a pan in olive oil, seasoning well with salt. As soon as they start to brown, add the seitan, and stir well over heat until the seitan is also lightly browned. Add the paprika and celery powder and sizzle over medium heat, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, finely chop the olives, arugula, and parsley. When the potatoes are tender, collect the cooking water in a bowl, mash the potatoes (not too finely), add olive oil and, if desired, a little cooking water or oat cream, and stir. Stir in the olive, arugula, and parsley mince and let stand on the turned-off, still-hot stovetop. By then, the kale will also be cooked through. Add the onion seitan to the kale, stir in, and let stand on the turned-off, still-hot stovetop. When everything is well-cooked, arrange and serve. FYI: The kale prepared here is also thoroughly cooked and develops its typical aroma, but it is not as soft as the traditional one at the Christmas market, but still has some texture. For seitan, I recommend the “Seitansbraten” from Wheaty, which has a very firm, almost meaty consistency and smells a bit like bacon when fried. Pimentón de la Vera/smoked paprika powder isn’t available everywhere, so you might have to order it online, but it’s definitely worth the investment. Whether it’s hot or mild is up to you to decide based on your personal preference. Celery powder isn’t available everywhere either, but it’s a good flavor booster for savory dishes. Oat cream isn’t necessary; it softens the purée a bit.