How to make your own vegetarian chorizo

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I have an admission to make...I've never eaten real chorizo sausages, so my humble attempt at a recipe for vegetarian version of chorizo may be way off. However, it's worth having a go at making them, as they taste good whether they're realistic or not! I've looked at loads of  meaty recipes and I've come up with a combination based on those flavours added to my basic shami kebab recipe.

Makes 8 sausages

• 1 ½ cups vegetarian mince (vegetarian ground-beef style crumbles), defrosted if frozen
• 1 ½ cups fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 1 large onion, finely chopped or grated
• 1 small or medium egg
• 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 heaped tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp sweet/mild paprika 
• 1 tsp chilli paste/1 fresh red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
• ½ tsp ground fennel seeds
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Black pepper to season
• 1 tbsp tomato purée 
• 2 tbsp wine/cider vinegar

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan.

Add the onion and cook on a medium heat until soft, but not brown.
Add the garlic, herbs and spices and cook for a further minute

Stir in the tomato purée and vinegar and heat through.

Remove from the heat.

Place the veggie mince and breadcrumbs in a bowl and mix to combine, breaking up any lumps of veggie mince. 

Add the onion and spice mixture and stir together (or blend in a food processor for a smoother texture -  I did this the second time I made them, and found that they stuck together a little better).

Finally add the egg and mix/blend until combined to make a firm but moist mixture, adding more breadcrumbs if needed.

Place in the fridge and allow to firm up for 30 minutes.
Shape into 8 sausages or 16 meatballs, and fry on a low-medium heat for 10 minutes, turning once or twice. Alternatively, brush with oil and bake in the oven at 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 for around 15 minutes, or grill/broil/bbq.

Eat hot or cold.
Suitable for freezing.

Alternatives: For a vegan version, replace the egg with a suitable binder.
For a Mexican-style vegetarian chorizo sausage, swap the ground fennel and smoked paprika for ¼ tsp ground cinnamon and 1-2 tsp ground cumin. 

Find loads more veggie recipes celebrating National Vegetarian week, over at Tinned Tomatoes.