Italian Tempeh Sausage Recipes

HOMEMADE ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Cut pork shoulder into cubes. Place in a bowl and refrigerate while preparing the other ingredients.
• Grind garlic with a pinch of salt in a mortar to make a paste. Add fennel, anise, and black pepper. Bruise spices lightly with a pestle to release the flavors. Add red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, oregano, marjoram, coriander, mustard, allspice, sugar, and a splash of water. Stir to combine.
• Add the spice paste to the pork cubes. Mix thoroughly by hand. Add the remaining salt. Cover and refrigerate until flavors meld, 8 hours to overnight.
• Process the cold pork through a meat grinder on the slowest speed.
• Push a casing onto the stuffing tube of your meat grinder. Feed the sausage meat through the filling tray. Run the meat through the casing on the slowest speed until all the casing is used up. Tie casing at the end into a knot. Pinch and twist the meat to create links if desired.
• Place sausage onto a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Refrigerate uncovered for 24 hours.
• Preheat a charcoal grill for medium heat. Separate the links and grill them until browned, about 5 minutes per side.

ITALIAN TEMPEH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Place the cubes of tempeh in a steamer basket, steam for 15 minutes, and set aside to cool.
• Using your fingers, crumble the steamed tempeh into a bowl.
• Add the basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, fennel, thyme, pepper flakes, and pepper to the tempeh and toss well to coat.
• Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.
• Lightly oil or line a cookie sheet or tray with waxed paper, and set aside.
• Using a 1/4 cups measuring cup to portion the sausages, lightly fill it with the tempeh mixture and gently pack it into the cup with the back of a spoon. Flip the measuring cup over on to the tray and give it a tap to release the patty.
• Form the mixture into 10 patties and chill for 1 hour.
• Lightly grease a non-stick skillet with a little safflower oil. In batches, cook the tempeh sausages until well browned on each side, about 5-7 minutes per side.
• Add more oil to the pan, if needed, to prevent the sausages from sticking.
• **You can make these sausages in larger batches and freeze them for later use. Then simply reheat them in the oven or in a nonstick skillet until heated through.

TEMPEH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Combine the marinade ingredients in a pot with the tempeh, using just enough water to cover.
• Bring this to a boil, lower to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes, removing the teabags after 4 minutes.
• In a dry pot toast the fennel and peppercorns, then grind them. In a medium sized bowl combine with the other herbs and garlic.
• Drain the tempeh, and when cool enough to handle crumble and mix gently with the spices.
• In a medium sized cast-iron skillet heat the olive oil and cook the onions until tender.
• Add the tempeh mixture and cook until browned and crispy at the edges.