The heatwave has arrived and I can almost guarantee what most of you will want to do in this weather – haul out the barbecue! It’s the classic British answer to hot, weather. Do what you can to make the most of the heat while it lasts, cook outside with friends, get sunburnt and maybe even a little drunk. It’s even a perfect idea as the COVID rules relax because you can obey the lockdown rules and still be social.
If you’re vegan you might be struggling to think of how you can enjoy what is typically a very meat focused event. But don’t worry, I’ve got you. Alongside your grilled corn, char-grilled asparagus, veggie kebabs, and seared peaches (seriously, try roasting them on the grill for an easy dessert, you won’t look back!) I’ve rushed to share the recipe for my vegan Lincolnshire sausages just for you.
Finding a good, tasty vegan sausage that’s also both gluten and soy free can be difficult. Which I why I’ve resorted to making them myself. While this recipe isn’t entirely complete, I knew all you lovely people would want to take a look at it now so you can add it to your barbecue menu. It’s entirely up to you if you want to do the final step and add the casing. Without it, the sausages will be more tender and should likely be cooked in the oven, but with the casing, they grill well, won’t fall apart and can be treated just like any other sausage. Toss them in a bun with ketchup or mustard and they’ll pair perfectly with a lazy summer’s day.
Full of flavour, they’ll satisfy the most ardent carnivore but they take a bit of work so let’s get started!
- Makes: 6 Sausages
Ingredients
For the Sausages:
- 30g Walnuts
- 50g Mushrooms, finely chopped
- 50g Onion, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp Oil (a neutral tasting oil like rapeseed or avocado works well)
- 125ml Vegetable Stock
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce Substitute (See Allergy Note below)
- 1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Ground White Pepper
- 1/2 tsp mace
- 1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground Ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground Allspice
- 3 tsp Sage
- 1 tsp Brown Sugar
- 125g Cooked Pinto Beans
- 2 Sundried Tomatoes, finely diced
- 2 Tbsp ground Chia Seeds
- 30g Steal Cut Oats, re-hydrated in stock
- 3g Methylcellulose
- 1/4 tsp Xantham Gum
For the Casing (optional)*:
- 2-3 Square Rice paper sheets
- 180ml Vegetable stock
- 1Tbsp Soy Sauce Substitute
- 1 tsp Liquid Smoke
- Oil for brushing
Directions
To start, process the walnuts in a food processor until the size of small breadcrumbs. It’s incredibly important that the mushrooms, tomatoes and onions are finely diced. Too large and it’ll throw off the texture. Saute them in a frying pan with just a touch of oil on a medium heat until the onions start to brown and the mushrooms have released their liquid. Remove from the heat and set to one side.
Bring the oil, stock, soy sauce, spices, and sugar to a boil in a medium pan. Add the beans, mushroom mix, walnuts, oats and chia seeds and simmer on a low heat until the liquid is completely absorbed. Stir constantly during this process and you should be left with a thick paste. At this stage I normally mash it a little to break up the pinto beans and help make sure the mix is a little homogeneous but that’s completely up to you, if you like a sausage with more texture then you can skip this step.
Allow the mix to cool before adding the final two ingredients and combine really well. Taking a quarter cup of the mix at a time, shape into a sausage shape. It will be sticky so oil your hands before hand or use cling film to help shape them. Allow to rest in the fridge for at least an hour.
If adding the casing, mix together the liquid ingredients on a plate or baking sheet with high sides. Ideally it should be wide enough for your rice paper sheets to lie flat. Allow a single sheet of rice paper to soak until soft an malleable. Using a pizza cutter, trim your rice sheets until you have a sheet slightly less wide than your sausages are long. Tightly roll the sausage in your rice paper strip until the ends overlap and stick together. Brush with oil and set to one side. Repeat until all your sausages are coated.
If your sausages have a coating then you can treat them just like any other sausage, grilling or frying until well browned on all sides. Without the coating, brush with oil and roast in the oven at 200C for 25 minutes.
Enjoy! This recipe is still a work in progress so I’d really love your feedback.
Notes
*My thanks to the Hidden Veggies for the casing inspiration – go take a look at her recipe!
Allergy Notes; you may be a little tired of this note by now but those of you that don’t know, I’m going to keep saying this – Soy Sauce is NOT gluten free as the brewing process contains wheat. A good gluten free option is Tamari which normally (not always! check your brand) contains no gluten, is slightly less salty, and thicker than soy sauce. We use coconut aminos in our house, while not quite as rich as soy sauce, it’s both gluten free and soy free but different brands vary tremendously – you may have to look around before finding one that suits you.
Keep an eye on your liquid smoke as it can contain both gluten and soy but allergen free versions are available.
If nuts are an allergen for you then I’d suggest substituting the walnuts for 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds for a similar taste and texture.
