Chicago Style Italian Beef Seitan

Chicago Style Italian Beef Seitan

 

Chicago Style Italian Beefs are one of those foods visitors “must-have” when visiting, along side stuffed pizza and our well-known hot dogs.... and for good reason. The flavors are simply incredible, once mixed into the saucy mess of bread, along with either hot or sweet peppers.

These sandwiches had been a long-term craving – one of those things I could have almost broken down for. Once I got the seitan recipe going well, one of my first goals was to figure this out. If I have something of a specialty, this would be it.

A few notes before we begin. When you first make your seitan loaves, add a ton of oregano and fennel, as well as a T of Hot Giardiniara to the broth. Start the flavoring early. You will need a Slow-Cooker/ Crock Pot as well. Finally, Giardiniara seems to be a Chicago only thing (as were Flamin' Hots for many years.) I've searched for it on the coasts in sandwich shops to no avail. It's a mix of olives, chopped celery, cauliflower, carrots and hot peppers, heavily salted and oiled. However, it is pretty amazing – the hot stuff is VERY hot. You can get regular as well.

Time: 2-4 hours, nearly completely unattended

Difficulty: A cinch

Ingredients:

2 prepared seitan loaves, sliced as finely as possible

3-5 cups vegetable stock (depends on the size of the slow cooker)

2 T dried oregano

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T fennel seed

1 sliced green pepper

2 T giardiniara

some freshly ground pepper

4-6 6” French Bread Rolls

Process:

1. Put all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high for 2-4 hours.
2. Stir occasionally.
3. When preparing to serve, slice roll and dip into the broth. Collect broth in  bread to your liking - sloppy is just fine.
4. Load up bread with seitan and green pepper slices. Add additional giardiniara to your liking.
   
   

   

   1. Sliced and ready to be slow-cooked.

   
   

   

   2. In the crock pot.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

3.  Hot Peppers and all!