VEGETARIAN CHORIZO

 When clouds and a winter chill descended on us this week, a pot of black beans seemed like a good idea. Usually I would throw a few links of chorizo in the pot along with vegetables. Chorizo is a powerful flavor pack. But because I was expecting a vegetarian guest for dinner, I decided to make vegetarian chorizo.

Black beans served with sautéed peppers and vegetarian chorizo sausages.

Garlic and pimentón give the vegetarian chorizo a taste a lot like the porky version.

I used tofu plus bread crumbs (gluten-free is fine) for the “meat” of the chorizo and olive oil instead of fatty panceta (belly bacon) for unctuousness. The seasoning was traditional—lots of smoked pimentón, garlic and a few other spices. And, plenty of salt. 

The vegetarian mixture could be stuffed into non-animal sausage casings, if available, making the resulting links more like real chorizo. Another alternative is to roll the mixture in cheesecloth or parchment.

Adding beaten egg to the sausage mixture helps to bind the ingredients so they don’t disintegrate in cooking. If you prefer a vegan sausage, eliminate the egg and, instead of rolling the mixture into sausage links, fry it “loose” or in small patties. 

My no-meat chorizo had good flavor and complemented the black beans nicely. But the texture was nowhere near the real thing. Tofu just doesn’t have much chew to it. I recently tasted some morcilla (blood sausage) that had finely chopped almonds in it. I think that would be good in the vegetarian chorizo, adding a little crunchiness to a sausage lacking in texture. 

Vegetarian Chorizo

Chorizo Vegetariano

Tofu, bread, oil, garlic and spices.

Serves 4.

8 ounces firm tofu

2 cloves

1/8 teaspoon cumin seeds

¼ teaspoon black peppercorns

½ teaspoon coarse salt

1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons sweet (dulce) smoked pimentón (paprika)

½ teaspoon hot (picante) smoked pimentón

½ teaspoon oregano

2 slices day-old bread (1 ½ ounces)

½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts or almonds (optional)

3 tablespoons olive oil + additional to fry the chorizo

1 teaspoon soy sauce or miso paste

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt to taste

1 egg, beaten (optional)

Cut the block of tofu into 8 pieces. Place them on paper towels and cover with additional paper towels. Place a weight (such as a cutting board) on top and let the tofu drain 10 minutes.

In a mortar crush the cloves, cumin and peppercorns with the salt. Add the garlic and mash it. Add the two kinds of pimentón and oregano.

Grind tofu in food processor

Break up the tofu into a food processor. Break the bread into pieces and add to the processor with the mixture in the mortar, oil, soy and lemon juice. Grind these ingredients until well combined. Taste the mixture and add salt as needed (½ teaspoon or more).  If using egg, mix it in.

Roll sausages in parchment.

Shape the mixture into two logs approximately 8 inches long and 1 inch thick. Place each one on a strip of parchment. Roll the chorizo log up using the parchment to compact it. Twist the ends of the parchment to make a sausage roll. Chill the chorizo logs 24 hours.

Cut each sausage into four “links.” Poach them in boiling salted water 5 minutes and drain well. When ready to serve, pat the chorizos dry and fry them in hot oil to brown on all sides.  

Recipe for homemade pork chorizo is here.

If you need to refresh your knowledge about pimentón.