Make Vegetarian Sausage

Termyn8or

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I have a vegetarian friend and it would be nice to have a cookout. This means it is not a bowl of salad.

I know mushrooms and spinach have been used as meat substitutes ad I now what they taste like. So I ffigure a mixture of the two right through the grinder together.

But what else ? Well I was thinking maybe what else is in normal sausage, say Italian.

If I read it right that means;

Garlic, maybe the oil out of the garlic squisher.
Probably a small amount of onion powder even though they probably don't.
Fennel, or less anise, or both but with only a little anise, it is very strong.
Cayenne pepper ground.
Of course salt.
Perhaps a tinge of brown sugar, I have tasted it in it.
If not really Italian sage would be good.

Does that sound about right ? Seems like what I have tasted.

One problem is where to get the grease, olive oil ? He is not vegan so it could be butter but that is not the best choice. These might go out on a grill. Unlike my steaks I do not want them to catch on fire.

T
 
i would actually grind up some fresh onions and garlic along with mushrooms and spinach. Maybe some lentils or some other kind of bean as well to give it some body, and either skip the powders or add them in as well after cooking and tasting some. If you want Italian, I'd use red pepper flakes instead of the cayenne. You could use fennel seed and grind it up some like they do in Italian sausage, like a rough black pepper grind. You could use EVOO and it would be vegan. Let me look in our Charcuterie and sausage making book and see if there are any vegetarian or vegan recipes. I actually have the Charcuterie book out as we are making up some chorizo with some of the pork Craig, my husband, ground up yesterday. The most important thing to do is cook and taste a small amount of your mix then make any changes from there. We do that with even tried and true sausage recipes.
 
I figured the meat goes in the grinder first and then everything else goes through with it next. Of course in this case the eat is not meat.

The olman and I dicussed it a few times and we figured on making very small amounts, frying them up and tasting. then adjust and try again. Each time with each of the spices listed along with their amounts.

Putting fresh onion and garlic through the grinder might work like a charm though, I could see it.

I think I can take a rolling pin to the fennel seed. Should crack it up just about right.

T
 
There are no.vegan sausages in our Charcuterie book. I'll have to go thru the other one. It's weird, you have to go.thru it page by page. There are no listings for individual recipes.
 
Maybe some lentils or some other kind of bean as well to give it some body
This is exactly right....there needs to be something to bulk out and give some texture, but also to add protein and hold everything together. Both mushrooms and spinach contain a high proportion of water which they'll release when cooked making for a sloppy mess if you're not careful.
 
I know mushrooms and spinach have been used as meat substitutes ad I now what they taste like. So I ffigure a mixture of the two right through the grinder together.

You need something to bind the spinach and mushrooms together. Very often, beans or lentils are used as a base, as they will help bind. They also provide protein. Breadcrumbs also help. The spinach will need to be cooked and as dried out as possible otherwise it will exude water and the burger will be a mushy heap!

There is a great recipe here from member (and chef) Hungry Man: Recipe & Video - Vegetarian Mushroom and Black bean burgers

Also, member The Late Night Gourmet recently posted this delicious looking recipe: Recipe - Black Bean Quinoa Sliders

And member murphyscreek posted this recipe using lentils: Recipe & Video - My Attempt At Inventing a Vegan Burger
 
You need something to bind the spinach and mushrooms together. Very often, beans or lentils are used as a base, as they will help bind. They also provide protein. Breadcrumbs also help. The spinach will need to be cooked and as dried out as possible otherwise it will exude water and the burger will be a mushy heap!

There is a great recipe here from member (and chef) Hungry Man: Recipe & Video - Vegetarian Mushroom and Black bean burgers

Also, member The Late Night Gourmet recently posted this delicious looking recipe: Recipe - Black Bean Quinoa Sliders

And member murphyscreek posted this recipe using lentils: Recipe & Video - My Attempt At Inventing a Vegan Burger
Thanks Morning Glory , I'm not a professional chef, just to let you know :)
 
I went thru our other sausage book and no vege sausages there. We have a vegetarian cookbook and I'll look thru that as well, but I don't remember there being any sausages in it.

We do have the vege burger recipe that uses a variety of veges in our Burger Meister book that I think I might have photographed and sent to Morning Glory , but don't know if she ever tried it. We haven't so can't comment other than other burgers we've made out of the book have been great. I'll send you a pic via PM if you want. Can't post it due to copyright laws.
 
I don't know why
We do have the vege burger recipe that uses a variety of veges in our Burger Meister book that I think I might have photographed and sent to @Morning Glory , but don't know if she ever tried it.

Not sure - I can't recall.

For some reason I read this thread as being about burgers not sausages. I must be losing the plot. :ohmy: Now, I did make a vegan sausage once - its more difficult than making a burger as they are more apt to fall apart. Here was my effort way back in 2017!:

Recipe - Vegan Black Bean Sausages
 
It is about sausage, but a burger is basically un-cased sausage, so same principals, especially if you stuff it in a casing. It's not going to fall apart that way, and, technically, it's not a sausage if not in a casing. It's a patty.
 
After thinking about it and looking at my gyro meat recipe, I wouldn't grind the onion and garlic. I'd do it like in my gyro recipe. Food processor until finely chopped, then squeeze out excess moisture.

In fact, a vegetarian sausage could be done using just a food processor in batches.

I think I would probably dry sautee the mushrooms as well to get rid of their excess moisture, besides dry sautéing the spinach and squeezing. I'd save some of the onion/garlic juice just in case moisture needs to be put back.
 
This could be kind of fun to do as a cook along. German sausages, Italian, Spanish, Asian, etc using various veges and beans/lentils for color and texture plus the different spices? Most of us make vegetarian or vegan recipes from time to time.

Like a weisswurst using a few mushrooms, white beans of some type, onions, garlic and appropriate spices, maybe a little spinach. Bratwurst using some pink to light red beans, red bell, onions, garlic, spices. Etc, etc.
 
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