Italian Sausages
Real men love processed meats like salami, bacon, bologna, sausage, pepperoni, olive loaf, spam, even Slim Jims. I mean nothing says “male” more than biting into a large meat combo pizza, downing a light beer, and watching football with friends in your man-cave. Hell, you could even cry in front of those friends while talking about your imaginary pink unicorn friend, Sparkles, and still be a man. But pass on the meat pizza? You might as well hand in your official “Man” card.
I, too, used to be a slave to the processed meats. My “go-to” pizza was double cheese, double sausage. If there was a special, I would throw in pepperoni, hamburger, and bacon. And so it is in this vain that I present my next recipe. Some may say that my going vegan voided my official “Man” card. But I contend that making your own processed meats from scratch out of vegetables is more manly than just ordering a simple pizza.
Yes, in all my manliness, I give you my vegan spin on ITALIAN SAUSAGES. These are great cooked with peppers and served on a hoagie, sliced on a pizza, grilled with onions, or slipped into layers of lasagna. But if you feel the need to up the manliness of this dish, make them while listening to Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive” because nothing is more bad-ass or more manly than that Bon Jovi song.
And don’t just take my word for it. I had these sausages rigorously tested by a bon-a-fide carnivore. He said the taste was much like a mild Italian sausage similar to Aidells’ brand. So whether you are making these for yourself or the man in your life, remember that “I walk these streets, a loaded six string on my back. I play for keeps, ‘cause I might not make it back…”
Ingredients
- 1 Tsp. Fennel Seeds (toasted and crushed)
- 1 Tsp. Smoked Paprika
- 2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp. Onion Powder
- 2 Tsp. Dried Oregano
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 6.5 Oz. Box of Vital Wheat Gluten
- ¼ Cup Nutritional Yeast
- ¼ Cup Chickpea Flour
- 2 Tsp. Crushed Red Pepper (optional)
- 1 Cup Kidney Beans (I used canned)
- 1 Cup Lentils (cooked in vegetable broth)
- ¾ Cup Water
- ½ Tsp. Liquid Smoke
- 1 Tbs. Ketchup
- 1 Tbs. Soy Sauce
- 6-8 Fresh Basil Leaves
Instructions
Toast your fennel seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir them until they become browned just a bit and become fragrant. Remove and let cool. Then you can crush them in a mortar and pestle or place them in a heavy zip-lock bag and bash them with something heavy, like a meat tenderizing mallet. Ironic, I know. Then place the fennel with all the rest of your dry ingredients: paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper, oregano, vital wheat gluten, yeast, and chickpea flour: in a bowl and mix to combine.
Cook the lentils according to the directions on the package. Now put the lentils and the other wet ingredients in a food processor. Process until everything is combined and you have a nice grainy consistency like oatmeal. It is not a problem if you over process the mix. You will just get a smoother texture inside the sausage. I like to leave mine a bit on the coarser side as it resembles sausage a bit more.
Next, combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Wash your hands and knead the mixture together for several minutes. You will begin to see the dough tighten up and get more difficult to knead. Let the mix rest for 10 minutes. Now shape your dough into 8 sausage sized rolls. Wrap each one of them loosely in foil.
Place a steamer basket in a large stock pot. Add enough water to come up to the bottom of the steamer basket. Place your sausages on the basket and cover with the lid. Steam the sausages for one hour. But check the pot every 20 minutes as you may need to add more water. After an hour, your sausages will be done. Feel free to slice them, grill them, or sauté them. And they freeze great so don’t worry if you have too many.
http://www.grassfedcarnivore.com/vegan-italian-sausage/
Pretty maids all in a row
So just remember “I’ve been everywhere, and I’m standing tall…I’ve seen a million faces and I’ve rocked them all!” And you, too, can rock them all with this recipe. No “Man” card needed. Longer Letter Later.
Love, Bob aka The Grassfed Carnivore
My first attempt at faux meat. I used all kidney beans because I didn’t have lentils. I think they turned out well. I then cooked them in a little olive oil. I can’t wait to make different flavors. Thank You Chef Bob
Glad you enjoyed them. I would be interested to hear what other flavors you make. Keep me posted.
Hi Chef Bob, well I have been trying to recreate the Al Fresco chicken sausage line. I have made a southwestern flavor today. I changed the kidney beans for cannellini beans, fresh cilantro, hatch chili and jalep. jelly, tomato paste for the ketchup, cumin, garlic, smoked paprika, onion, sage and oregano, ground red pepper for dried spices. I used Mesquite liquid smoke and fresh jalep. that were chopped. It came out quite good. Do you have any ideas for a chicken wing sausage flavor? Next will be black olive cured in oil, artichoke hearts, red onion and spinach with roasted garlic paste. I think keeping white beans in it makes it more like chicken and keeping red will give me a pork and beef base. Thanks For All You Do.
The Southwestern flavor sound delicious. I am going to try them myself. As for chicken wing flavor, I am not sure. Most spicy wings are made with butter and hot sauce. So I am guessing a good hot sauce would be essential. Since you eat wings typically with celery and blue cheese dressing, I might try some celery seeds and a good amount of nutritional yeast to give the sausages a tangy blue cheese like bite. The black olive ones sound good as well. I would use white beans and add a pinch of crushed red pepper. Cheers.