This beauty is a real hit at our house. It has become so loved that my husband is requesting a loaf once a week at least :) It is good as a cold cut to put in your sandwich, on a charcuterie board or even just as a cold snack to eat straight out of the fridge. The preparation is so quick and if you are a little experienced with making ‘meat’ substitutes, you will probably have all the ingredients already at your disposal at home. I like to play and change the spices a little every time I make this but this is the basic recipe that you’ll absolutely love.
Tofu
Tofu is the most common source of protein in most vegan diets. Tofu is low in calories but high in protein and fat which make it a great substitute to use in main course dishes. It also contains many important vitamins and minerals, such as calcium, manganese, selenium and iron.
Dates "Honey"
Dates "honey" or syrup is the syrup produced from the date fruit, it has a lower glycemic index than sugar, which is better for your blood sugar. Thanks to the fact that the "honey" is made with whole fruit, there’s some evidence it contains magnesium, potassium, and other minerals. Dates "honey" is still very sweet and should be consumed in moderation.
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Variations:
- This pastrami is very good as a cold cut to put in your sandwich. Try it with Rye sourdough, vegan mayo, fresh spinach leaves and avocado slices , I guarantee you'll love it.
- I recently discovered that if you cut thicker slices from this pastrami loaf and serve it hot with a sweet type of sauce (for example, classic cranberry sauce), you get a great tasting and fulfilling 'main course' dish.
Pastami 'steaks' served with dried fruits sauce, recipe coming soon
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Whenever I go into the kitchen, whether it is for cooking or baking, I need to have my music with me. I thought it would be nice to share with you the exact song that describes my feeling towards each recipe. That way you can have a similar experience while cooking...
Recipe's song:
This recipe is one that we absolutely love in my house and it has so many good versions of it, so it reminds me of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen or by Jeff Buckley (Much like this pastrami, both versions are awesome)
Let's start:
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Prep time: 15 min.
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Cooking time: 55 min.
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Difficulty: medium
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Servings: 1 Pastrami loaf
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Tools:
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Ingredients:
Glaze:
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Instructions:
- Mix the tofu in the food processor with the aquafaba and the olive oil. Mix well until you see a smooth texture, add the wheat gluten and blend for 1 more minute.
- Add the spices and mix well for another 2 minutes. The mixture should look well combined, It should be sticky but firm.
- If the dough is too dry, add aquafaba/water very slowly just until the texture is right (don’t over liquify the mixture. If the dough is too wet to knead, you can add a tiny bit of wheat gluten).
- Remove the dough from the food processor and knead for one more minute.
- Shape the dough into a round and long sphere (like a loaf of bread), avoid leaving cracks on the loaf’s surface.
- Prepare the glaze: In a small mixing bowl mix the glaze ingredients.
- Prepare a sheet of aluminum on your work area, inside place a baking paper. The baking paper should be in the size of the pastrami loaf and the goal is to prevent the pastrami from touching the aluminum foil. Wetting the baking paper helps it be more flexible and easier to use.
- Brush a third of the glaze on the baking paper, place the loaf on top of the glaze. Brush the top and the sides of the loaf. Close the baking paper on top of the loaf, then, close the foil so it seals the pastrami.
- Place in a preheated oven to 350 F. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Take the pastrami out, open the foil, brush another layer of the glaze and put beck in the oven for another 20- 25 minutes.
- The pastrami will have a darker crust, allow it to cool down at room temperature.
- Place in a sealed container and cool in the fridge for 6 hours.
- If you like your pastrami extra sticky, you can brush another layer of glaze before serving.
- Enjoy!
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Go ahead, share your version with me, take a picture and tag @pwildflour
Let me know what you think of the recipe :)
4 comments
I prefer using Aquafaba because it adds a hint of flavor along with more nutrients (1 cup of aqufaba contains approx. 2.5 g of protein)
Texture wise, it doesn’t do that much of a difference, I do find that aquafaba makes it a little bit more firm after baking but it is very slight. I have made it with water before and it worked very well. Thank you for your reply and I’d love to hear how you liked it.
I want to prepare this soon!
Is there a benefit if for using aquafaba over simply tap water?
Will it give the pastrami a better texture, or any other improvement?
Thank you for the recipe :)