Pepperoni Style Sausage

This is one of my favourite ways to make Seitan. It is seriously moreish. I've used it in sandwiches, stews, on pizzas and just for slicing off a hunk and snacking with. Pepperoni Style Sausage makes 2 sausages each about 200 grams Ingredients 1 1/2 cups of Vital Wheat Gluten 1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast 1 tsp Onion Powder 1 tsp Garlic Salt 3 Cloves of Garlic, squeezed through a garlic press 1 1/2 tsp Mixed Herbs 1 Tblsp Toasted Sesame Seeds (toast your own if you can) 1/2 cup Thick "Beef" broth 1/4 cup Red Wine 1 Tblsp Soy Sauce 1 Tblsp Olive Oil 5 Tblsp Tomato Paste 2 Sundried Tomatoes, diced thinly 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke few drops of Tabasco

Directions Place in a bowl the Vital Wheat Gluten, Nutritional Yeast and crushed Garlic. Mix well with a fork. Add the Garlic Salt, Onion Powder and Mixed herbs. The contents of this bowl shall forever be known as "dry ingredients". In a separate bowl - place the rest of the ingredients and mix well. The contents of this bowl shall be known as "wet ingredients" Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until it all comes together to form a dough. Knead for a few minutes. Pesky bits of Sundried Tomatoes will keep popping out but just stick 'em back in. Take 2 pieces of aluminum foil and lightly oil. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts and roll each piece into a sausage shape about 6 inches long and 3 inches diameter. Roll up each sausage in each piece of foil and roll the foil round the sausage. Twist the ends tight so as the sausage shape retains. Bake in the middle of an oven at 200 degrees for 40 mins turning round half way through cooking time. Unwrap and leave to cool completely. Each sausage yields about 25 1/4 inch slices and will get scoffed very very quickly! I should make double this recipe each time really.

The dough

Rolled out like a sausage "I did a twisty, a tiny twisty" NOM NOM!

GO VEGAN!

Vegan MoFo Day 6: Balls!

Can I just say that Chocolate Cake for breakfast is soooooo right. Especially with a creamy cup of English tea. Yummmmmm. Cake and tea are one of those great combo's like Salt and Vinegar and Sausage and Mash and is another great British contribution to World Cuisine and also a great British tradition in general. Though admittedly it is served at the more respectable time of in the afternoon but I stare respectable in the face and say "NOOO!!!". Have it for breakfast GOD DAMMIT!

Am I allowed to be inspired by myself cos I blinking well have been. When I was eating my Spanish Stew for leftovers I couldn't help but notice the similarity between it and Campbell's Meatballs (which incidentally are not called Campbell's Meatballs anymore they are called Fray Bentos Meatballs as Premier Foods bought out Campbells in 2006 and got a bunch of brands in the deal, including OXO, Batchelors, Homepride and Fray Bentos. Which, if you were googling for a photo of Campbell's Meatballs you would have found out for yourself. Who knew.)

Anyway all tom foolery aside - I had somewhat of a vegan epiphany, or a lightbulb moment if you want, and knowing full well I could beat Campbell's (or Fray Bentos) at their own game, I set about recreating this pregan favourite of mine. I made up a batch of Pepperami Style Sausage but instead of making sausages I made balls - genius huh! Now I like big balls so this recipe yielded 11 (10 of which only actually made it to the grand finale) but if you like smaller balls then you will get more from your dough and in all honesty I would make them a bit smaller next time. Wrap each ball up in its own little separate bit of tin foil (put the used foil in the tin re-cycling when done) and place in the oven for 40 - 50 mins - turning over halfway through cooking time. *STOP BLOG* Why oh why oh WHY do I consistently continue to put things in a hot oven without wearing oven gloves? Why do I not own oven gloves?? It is a known fact that I can not do any form of cooking without burning myself. Usually they are harmless but this one today might be the wake up call I need to ask Santa to buy me some oven gloves. That must be three layers of skin burnt right off there.

And WHY do I not have plasters when I need one? Do I win points for improvising? Yes that is sellotape! Whilst waiting for your balls to cool, chop up half an Onion and slice a handful of Mushrooms. Heat some Olive Oil in a pan and cook the Onion and Mushrooms for 5-7 mins. Add a portion of Tomato Sauce and throw dem balls in dere. Cook on a low heat for 10 -15 mins stirring every once in a while. Take off the heat and entertain yourself for an hour or two. When you're ready to eat - warm up the Sauce, cook your Spaghetti and let Pasta and Sauce meet in a perfect partnership of taste fusion. Sprinkle on some Parmesan and revel in the knowledge that you are a genius - all be it a genius with burn wounds. (hands up who didn't snarf at least once whilst reading that)