More Sick Eats ? Lentilsoup (turned Stew) and Stew Sausages

Yup, still sick, – still no shopping.

On days like these I am forever grateful for my overflowing “pantry”.

So with what little energy I had, I nevertheless came around making some stew sausages, which I wanted to remind of smoked “Mettwürstchen“, both in taste as in texture, and lentilsoup, – which I hoped would taste like my granny’s (and in the end, thanks to some drops of Maggi, the magic potion, it did).

Actually I had a  hankering for my granny’s brown bean soup (talk about comfort food), – but due to the poor shopping possibilities (I had my hubby ransack 4 stores the other day to find an ingredient for some Vegan in the Sun testers the other day, so I really wouldn’t have wanted to ask him for help again, – besides, – he was still at work when the hankering struck… and I needed my soup soon, and lentils don’t need to soak, and, – my gran used to make lentil soup, too, so… gosh, did I really write all that down? – I truly am sick.)…er, uh, – well, I opted for lentil soup.

So, first of all I had to come up with a recipe for those “Mettwürstchen”.

Now, I didn’t really get the stick-together-but-still-crumbliness I was aiming for, but crumble the sausages did, – maybe more than some may like them to, so I wrote down a less crumbly version, too). I have to thank Bryanna for suggesting using TVP when I asked for a way to get less dense sausages on another occasion. You’ve really given me courage to just take the plunge and experiment. Thank you!

And I don’t want to imply these sausages are good, – but the family love them and want me to make them a lot, – they even eat them on bread (if I let them…)

These sausages are mighty hearty, smokey and maybe a bit too salty for you, – but that is the way a Mettwürstchen, that is used in stews and sauerkrauts, – they are used to give a lot of their taste to the stew / soup.



Stew Sausages (makes  links)



1 c dry TVP / TSP granules (for less crumbly sausages, use 1/2 c – 2/3 c)

2 c veggie broth, hot (should be double the c of TVP /TSP you use, so change accordingly)

1 t garlic powder

1 t rotisseur mustard (grainy)

2 t smoked paprika

1 t coarsely ground black pepper

1/4 t citric acid

Soak TVP in seasoned, hot veggie broth for ca. 10 minutes, then drain and squeeze, KEEP LIQUID!!!!

Fill kept liquid up to:

2 1/4 c water

to this add:

2 T canola oil

1 T soysauce

1 t liquid smoke

1 t rotisseur mustard

This mix should be cool before you can tackle the rest of the recipe.

in a dry, bigger bowl mix:

2 1/4 c gluten

1/2 c nutritional yeast

1t garlic

4 t veggie broth powder

2 t black pepper, coarsely ground

2 t granulated onions

1 t salt

1/4 t nutmeg, ground

1/4 t citric acid

1 – 2 T mustard seeds

1 1/2 T smoked paprika

Prepare your steamer device of choice.

Mix dry ingredients thoroughly to avoid pockets of spice in the finished product.

To wet mix add drained TVP.

Now add wet mix to dry mix, mix loosely using a fork, – only until everything is moistened. (Try to avoid pockets of gluten.)

Using a 1/4 c measuring spoon, drop some of the mix on a piece of aluminium foil. Loosely shape into a slight sausage form, then tightly roll up into a sausage with the alu foil. Tightly turn ends closed.

Repeat until all mix is used.

Plop sausages in steamer, steam for 20 minotsutes.

The sausage is very soft when fresh out of the steamer, – best used after a night’s chill in the fridge.

——-

Now to what I needed the sausages for:

Lentil Soup à la Oma Wilma

ya, I know, doesn’t look like it, but IS tasty

500 g brown lentils (2 1/2 c)

5 c water

1 1/2 c chopped soup veggies  (part celeriac, part carrots and part leek)

3 bay leaves

Put in a big pot, bring to a boil, turn down heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Then add:

1,5 lbs potaoes, peeled and cubed (size of a fingertip)

3 c veggie broth

1/2 – 1 t black pepper, coarsely ground

salt to taste (I used about 1 t, due to the potatoes sucking it up)

1/2 – 1 t liquid smoke



Bring back to a boil, then turn down heat. Simmer for some 20 to 25 minutes more (until potatoes are done and lentils are easily squishable).

In a saucepan sweat:

1 onion, cubed finely in

1 T oil

until golden.

Add to soup.

In the same saucepan brown

4 stew sausages, sliced thickly in

1 T oil

Take bay leaves out of soup, add browned sausage slices and oil.

Stir carefully.

Serve.

Granny-style would be with a bottle of Maggi and sliced sourdough bread at the side.

I got all thumbs ups from the men in my family. Only hubster’s co-worker complained because of the garlic the following day *hrrm*.

Oh, and if you’ve got a hankering for something sweet after all this, I highly recommend Claryn’s Killer BananaBread !!!!

Ask younger J!



Gimmemo’!!!!

(and he wasn’t even missing his beloved chocolate!)

Best ever!