As you may or may not know, I am trying new foods so that I can pass along successful recipes to my son and DIL in NYC. Like me they are seriously limiting their exposure to the outside world They live in a small apartment and though they stocked their kitchen before things got really bad, they don't really have the luxury of experimentation. I have had a habit of overstocking, so an unsuccessful recipe is not going to deplete anything here. Of course I will not be sharing the failures though. There is no point sharing something that does not at least taste good.
I tried this for two reasons. One is just because I have never tried it before and thought it might be fun to see if it really works, and the second is that I have been reading about several meat processing plants that are closing temporarily because of the virus. This will probably mean a run on products with no restocking in sight.
Almost Sausage
3 cups cooked oatmeal (cooked and refrigerated until cold. See note at the bottom of the recipe)
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes (check and see if you have any packets left from a pizza delivery)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed fennel seed (optional but really good, and strongly recommended)
pinch garlic powder
pinch onion powder
oil for frying
Use old fashioned oats if you have them. If not go ahead with the quick cooking kind but the end product will be a little less chewy. Use less water than you would for a breakfast porridge. You want the oats to be a little on the dry side. After they are cooked put them in the fridge to cool completely. This is a very important step so that you will actually be able to form patties.
Add the spices to the cold oatmeal and blend well. When you think you have it all stirred together, sir a couple of more times. Form the mixture into patties. (I got 8 out of the mixture)
Put about 3 tablespoons of oil into a small pan and heat until hot but not smoking. I cooked two patties at a time and it worked well. Cook for a couple of minutes, then using a spatula, press down so the patties are about 1/2 as thick as they were. When the bottom is set, flip them over and cook the through. Remove to an absorbent paper (I cut brown grocery bags into squares and use them as blotting papers) then plate and eat.
The taste is remarkably like sausage, but the mouth feel is a little different. It is not bad, just different. As long as you do not expect this to be identical to a pork sausage, you should enjoy it. I only cooked 2 patties, mainly because I am here by myself. I did not want but one anyway, but two fit in the pan and now I am glad I cooked two because I butchered the first one getting it out of the pan. I was not being careful at all and all of the sudden I had a fake sausage patty flying through the air right before it splatted on the cabinet door.
Anyway, this is an easy enough recipe and would be great for anyone who did not have sausage on hand and was having the craving for some, or for anyone who just wanted a vegan alternative.
When I cook the remaining patties I think I will only brown them in the pan and then transfer them to a baking sheet to finish cooking in the oven. Will amend this recipe with those results.
I tried this for two reasons. One is just because I have never tried it before and thought it might be fun to see if it really works, and the second is that I have been reading about several meat processing plants that are closing temporarily because of the virus. This will probably mean a run on products with no restocking in sight.
Almost Sausage
3 cups cooked oatmeal (cooked and refrigerated until cold. See note at the bottom of the recipe)
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes (check and see if you have any packets left from a pizza delivery)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed fennel seed (optional but really good, and strongly recommended)
pinch garlic powder
pinch onion powder
oil for frying
Use old fashioned oats if you have them. If not go ahead with the quick cooking kind but the end product will be a little less chewy. Use less water than you would for a breakfast porridge. You want the oats to be a little on the dry side. After they are cooked put them in the fridge to cool completely. This is a very important step so that you will actually be able to form patties.
Add the spices to the cold oatmeal and blend well. When you think you have it all stirred together, sir a couple of more times. Form the mixture into patties. (I got 8 out of the mixture)
Put about 3 tablespoons of oil into a small pan and heat until hot but not smoking. I cooked two patties at a time and it worked well. Cook for a couple of minutes, then using a spatula, press down so the patties are about 1/2 as thick as they were. When the bottom is set, flip them over and cook the through. Remove to an absorbent paper (I cut brown grocery bags into squares and use them as blotting papers) then plate and eat.
The taste is remarkably like sausage, but the mouth feel is a little different. It is not bad, just different. As long as you do not expect this to be identical to a pork sausage, you should enjoy it. I only cooked 2 patties, mainly because I am here by myself. I did not want but one anyway, but two fit in the pan and now I am glad I cooked two because I butchered the first one getting it out of the pan. I was not being careful at all and all of the sudden I had a fake sausage patty flying through the air right before it splatted on the cabinet door.
Anyway, this is an easy enough recipe and would be great for anyone who did not have sausage on hand and was having the craving for some, or for anyone who just wanted a vegan alternative.
When I cook the remaining patties I think I will only brown them in the pan and then transfer them to a baking sheet to finish cooking in the oven. Will amend this recipe with those results.
Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis is one that I will try - and I do love fennel.
I am fond of fennel also.
DeleteI wonder if this would work where sausage needs to be crumbled. I don't cook much sausage, but as soon as I heard the meat packing plant closed, I checked the freezer, and I have two 1-l lb rolls. You know how it is, as soon as something is unavailable or hard to get, people want it.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how/if it would hold together to crumble, but I am not at all sure.
DeleteI'm sharing this one with my daughter. I can see her making a wide variety of flavors. I don't know what might happen with meat-chicken sometimes is already hard to find, but the last two shops I've been OK.
ReplyDeleteI have not been shopping since I had a grocery delivery 2 weeks ago, so I have not checked to see how supplies are going. My freezer is still very well stocked and I really don't need anything more, but __bacon, I can never have too much!
DeleteI love that you are sharing these recipes. Also couldn't help by laugh out loud at the image of "a fake sausage patty flying through the air right before it splatted on the cabinet door." Thanks for the smile today! ;)
ReplyDeleteI think I am entertaining myself by trying some things I do not normally make but cleaning splatted fake sausage was not terribly entertaining!
DeleteToday, I am altering a frosting from the Chantilly Cake recipe you posed a few years back. (I am making a chocolate version.) I purchased the Marscapone on sale a while back--a good while back, in fact, back when I'd cruise the store for clearance items on the way home from school drop off. Anyway, a belated thank you for that post!
ReplyDeleteYou are most welcome!
DeleteIt was AMAZING...I used 8 oz. marscapone, 1/3 cup cocoa, 1 1/2 cup heavy cream, and added the sugar to the consistency I wanted. Oh, my word! The texture and flavor were delightful. I whipped it so full, that I had a good deal leftover after frosting a two-later cake. One kid suggested dipping it in melting chocolate, and giving it away as gifts. I tucked it in the refrigerator to see how it would hold up, but wouldn't you know that this morning, it was gone?
DeleteIt wasn't even the cake that vanished...it was the leftover frosting!
DeleteWow, this would be so great to try! Thank you for the recipe, Anne.
ReplyDeleteAnytime, Belinda!
DeleteI think it is wonderful that you are doing all these kitchen experiments and sharing the results with us. Unfortunately, I don't have any oats, right now. It was one of the things I forgot to stock up, on (I don't eat oatmeal, but, I usually have some on hand for my daughter as she likes it).
ReplyDeleteI can either clean or experiment with food. I guess you can tell which choice I make.
DeleteInteresting recipe. I don't have any oats right now, but I may have to try this because I enjoy breakfast sausage biscuits but I don't enjoy paying the price for pre-made ones.
ReplyDeleteP.S. The hot dog hash was fantastic, both my son and I enjoyed it very much.
I have a ridiculous amount of food in storage because of things like when Sprouts has oatmeal for 59 cents a pound, why not buy 4 or 5 pounds and put it in the freezer. Funny thing is that neither TheHub nor I eat oatmeal as a cereal__ever! But I am a habitual sale buyer/freezer person.
DeleteInteresting, I am sure the spices have something to do with it. It is like making meat out of flour, or pulling gluten out and using it as meat.
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure the spices have everything to do with it. The oatmeal/flour mix alone would make a pretty flavorless fried blob.
DeleteI am going to try to make seitan using unbleached all purpose flour in a few days. I have no idea if it will work though. I might just make a mess.