Patty Wednesday: Sausages

I mentioned before that I want to delve into homemade patties and break away from the individually-packaged, processed, frozen ones. Even if those taste really good.

One of my favorite bloggers, Bianca at Vegan Crunk, posted a video of a cooking demonstration making chorizo from the ever-popular Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I took down the ingredients from the video, but I’ve also ordered a copy of the cookbook (finally). The sausages were not too difficult to make, and the flavor was really good, but the texture was a little gummy. I may need to improve my cooking method, but first I want to check the recipe.

You start by combining smashed beans, spices, broth, oil, and wheat gluten, then shape them into sausages, wrap them in foil, and steam them.

The mixed-up goo. The paprika, cayenne, kidney beans, and tomato paste make them red. In the background you can see two other ingredients: liquid smoke and nutritional yeast. (I’ve been using my dining table as my new kitchen is severely lacking in counter space.)

I improvised a steamer with a colander and a large pot, so the lid didn’t really fit tightly. I’m not sure if that’s part of the problem, or also that I divided it into four and these guys were huge. Anyway, like I said, they were a bit gummy, so I cooked them some more in a skillet, which actually worked really well to brown and crisp the outsides a little bit.

Served with mashed potatoes, broccoli, and beer.

I’m on the lookout for another patty type recipe to try. I think once I try enough, I’ll see what goes in to making a good one. Any suggestions?