My wieners, take 2

By Monica on February 5th, 2008

Ok, they’re technically Julie’s wieners, but this was a catchier title. And unlike my last attempt at sausages, these came out perfectly! (My sausage skills might be improving, eh?) My only modification to Julie’s recipe was to use caraway seed instead of fennel seed, and they are absolutely fantastic! Way better than packaged Tofurkey sausages and certainly healthier and less expensive. These are now on permanent rotation in my house.

Here’s a wiener now, nekked in all its glory:

And then we move onto other possibilities, like Sausage & Dumpling Soup. Believe it or not, it isn’t tomatoes coloring this Czech soup, it’s all paprika.

This was also an excuse to use up more dried beans from my pantry. There is seemingly no end to them.

I think this next dish was originally German, but surely everyone knows the old Saurkraut-Potatoes-Sausage medley. Boiled taters, saurkraut, a handful of caraway seeds, and your favorite sausage. One of the easiest one pot meals ever!

And lastly, a French Bean & Basil Stew. I modified this from an old cookbook I found at the thrift store called The Peasant Kitchen. It was 25 cents, a bargain for this recipe alone. This was crazy good - pureed beans, loads of basil, vegan Parmesan, and of course, sausage.

A noteworthy mention - all of these recipes were made using just one batch of Julie’s sausages and I still have one sausage left over. How economical is that?!

Bean & Dumpling Soup
2 cups white beans
8 cups water or broth
2 bay leaves
2 strips SmartBacon, diced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 small celeriac, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 medium parsnip, diced
2T olive oil
2T flour
2T sweet paprika
1t marjoram
2 veggie sausages
salt & pepper to taste

Dumplings:
1/4 cup soy milk
1/4 cup water
2T Earth Balance
2T chopped fresh parsley
bread crumbs

Soak the beans in water overnight. The next day, drain and discard the water.
Place the beans in a large pot and cover with the water or broth. Add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, simmer for one hour or until beans are almost tender.
Fry the diced SmartBacon n medium heat until browned. Add onion and fry until almost golden. Add celeriac, carrots, parsnip, and olive oil; cook for 5 minutes.
Add flour and cook for 2 more minutes.
Add paprika, marjoram, and sausage. Cook for 3 more minutes and then add all of this to the beans.
Season with salt and pepper, simmer for 10 minutes.

To make the dumplings, first make a bechamel sauce. Put the soy milk and 1/4 cup water in a small pot under medium heat. Add the EB. When melted, add the flour and cook for a few minutes. stirring constantly. Take the pan off the heat and add milk and water. Return to heat and add parsley and as much breadcrumbs as needed for a semi-thick paste. Season with salt and pepper. Drop spoonfuls of the dumpling mixture into the soup and cook for 3-5 minutes until done.

Bean & Basil Soup
2/3 cup olive oil, separated
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced, separated
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
3 tomatoes, diced
2T tomato paste
1/2 oregano
5 cups cooked soup beans of your choice, separated
5 cups vegetable broth, separated
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup uncooked spaghetti, broken up
1 cup tightly packed fresh basil
1/2 cup vegan Parmesan
1 veggie sausage (optional)

Heat 3T olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, 2 cloves of the garlic, and the parsley and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onion is soft.
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and oregano. Continue cooking until all the tomato juice has evaporated.
Add 2 cups of the beans and 1 cup of the stock. Season with salt & pepper, simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove this pot from the heat and allow to cool, then place in a blender or food processor. Puree until completely smooth.
Pour the puree back into the pot & return to medium-high heat. Add the remaining beans and stock.
Add spaghetti and simmer for 10-12 minutes until spaghetti is done.
In the blender or food processor, combine the remaining garlic, the basil, remaining olive oil, and Parmesan. Blend until smooth. Add this to the soup and stir in.
Add sliced sausages and cook until heated through.