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Now leave that alone and start the stew:

Mix the cornstarch into the vegetable stock until dissolved.

Preheat an oven-safe skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Sauté in the oil the leeks, onions, and carrots until very soft and just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Keep the heat moderate so that they don’t burn.

Add the garlic, thyme, freshly ground black pepper, and salt, and cook for 1 more minute. Add the cooked potatoes and frozen peas, then pour in the vegetable stock mixture. Raise the heat just a bit; it will take a few minutes but the liquid will start simmering. Once it does, lower the heat again. Let it simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, but no longer than that. If you need more time for the biscuits, then turn off the heat under the stew.

Back to the biscuits:

Add the shortening to the flour in small slivers and work it into the dough with a fork or with your fingers until large crumbs form. You don’t want to cream it in; there should be clumps. Drizzle in the soy milk and mix with a fork until everything is moistened (some dry parts are okay).

Wash and dry your hands, then lightly flour them and get them dirty again. Gently knead the dough about ten times right in the bowl, just so that it is holding together and not very sticky. If it seems sticky, as in sticking to your fingers, then gently work in a little more flour. Set that aside and check on your stew.

The stew should be simmering and slightly thickened. Mix in the beans. Now, let’s add the biscuits. Pull off of chunks of dough that are about slightly larger than golf balls. Gently roll them into balls and flatten a bit; they do not have to be perfectly round. Add them to the top of the stew, placed an inch or so apart.

Transfer the whole megillah to the preheated oven. If you are worried about spillover, place it on a rimmed baking sheet, but we’ve never had that problem. Bake for about 15 minutes. The biscuits should be just slightly browned and firm to the touch.

Remove from the oven and use a large serving spoon to place some of the stew and a biscuit in each shallow, individual bowl. Sprinkle with a little chopped, fresh thyme.

Serve at last! Especially yummy when you break up your biscuit and mix it in a bit with your stew.

SEITAN PICCATA WITH OLIVES AND GREEN BEANS

SERVES 4

TIME: 40 MINUTES

Okay, enough messing around with everything else we call “recipes,” piccata is where it’s at. If you’ve ever wanted to impress someone with something other than your ability to touch your tongue to your nose, then serve them piccata. Never had it before? It’s capers and white wine and garlic and shallots and lemon and breaded seitan, and it’s easy to make. Are you sold? We serve it with olives and crunchy string beans over a big pile of mashed potatoes, and we serve it often.

1 pound seitan

About ⅓ cup all-purpose flour

Olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan)

1 scant cup thinly sliced shallots (3 to 5, depending on the size)

4 cloves garlic, chopped

⅓ cup dry white wine

2 cups vegetable broth

¼ teaspoon salt

Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper

Small pinch of dried thyme

¼ cup capers with a little brine

½ cup pitted kalamata or black olives, cut in half

Juice of 1 lemon (2-3 tablespoons)

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

½ pound green beans, ends trimmed

PREHEAT A large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.

Cut the seitan into long, thin pieces, slicing off any rounded ends so that they will lay flat. Ideally, the slices should be a little over ¼ inch thick, 3 inches long, and 2 inches across, but who is counting?

Coat the bottom of the skillet with oil and let it get hot. Dredge half the seitan slices in flour to coat. Add to the pan and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Proceed to coat the other slices and repeat. Place the cooked seitan slices on a tray or plate covered with aluminum foil, to keep