Vegetarian Pot Roast (aka, Seitan Pot Roast)

Your favorite olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced fine
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound of seitan, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 cup of dry red wine
6 cipolline or other small white onions, unpeeled
8 ounces of baby carrots
1 pound of small new red potatoes, scrubbed, unpeeled, and halved
2 1/2 cups of vegetable broth
1 teaspoon of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of tamari
1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water

Rub about 2 tablespoons of the oil, the garlic, the thyme, the salt, and the pepper onto the seitan.

Place the seitan in a shallow bowl and add the wine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to 8 hours.

Parboil the onions in boiling water for 5 minutes (this makes them easier to peel). Drain the onions and allow them to cool enough to handle. Peel them and set them aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the seitan from the marinade; reserve the marinade. Heat a splash of oil in an ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add the seitan slices and brown on both sides. cooking in batches if necessary.

Remove the seitan from the pot and set aside.

Add another splash of oil to the pot and heat over medium heat. Add the onions, the carrots, and the potatoes and brown quickly all over, stirring frequently.

Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste and add 1/2 cup of the broth.

Cover the pot tightly, put it in the oven, and bake until the vegetables are tender, perhaps 1 hour.

About 15 minutes before the end of the cooking, add the seitan.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the remaining 2 cups of stock, the tomato paste, the tamari, and the reserved marinade and bring to t he boil.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly. Whisk in the cornstarch-water mixture and return to the boil. Stir the sauce constantly until it thickens, about a minute.

Adjust the seasoning in the sauce if necessary. Keep the sauce warm over very low heat.

When the vegetables are cooked, arrange them on a serving platter with the seitan. Spoon the sauce over the seitan and the vegetables.

Serve as the star of a hearty meal.