Pegs' recipes

Panagiota made the best vegetarian food. Whenever I was desperate for some variety she'd give me a recipe. These are two of my absolute favourites.

From Panagiota to Brooke on Nov. 2, 2010

Ok, here are two delicious recipes. The burgers are the best veggie

burgers I've ever had. And the vegetable sausages are addictive.

These are the actual recipes, but I skip half the steps usually.

Like, I use ready breadcrumbs, or just throw everything in a food

processor. Depends how lazy I'm feeling. Or you can substitute

quinoa or rice to add a grain. Or more veggies. You really can't

screw them up.

Cheesy Vegetable Sausages

225 g / 8 oz sliced white bread

50 g / 2 oz grated carrot

175 g / 6 oz grated courgette

25 g / 1 oz butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

150 g / 5 oz grated Cheddar cheese

1 egg, separated

a little salt and pepper

oil for frying

Make the breadcrumbs by tearing the bread into pieces and blitzing it

in a food processor. Squeeze the excess liquid out of the carrot and

courgette.

Heat the butter in a frying pan and fry the onion until soft. Add the

grated carrot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the courgette and cook for

3 minutes until softened. Mix with the grated cheese, half the

breadcrumbs, the egg yolk and seasoning.

Shape into 8 sausages about 10 cm / 4 inches long, using floured hands

and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes. Dip into the lightly beaten

egg white and then roll in the remaining breadcrumbs. Heat some oil

in a wok or frying pan and shallow-fry the sausages until lightly

golden.

Veggie Burgers

1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews

1 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, chopped

1 carrot, grated

1/2 small leek, carefully washed and chopped

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/4 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

3/4 cup cooked brown rice (1/4 cup uncooked)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/3 cup grated Gruyere

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 tbsp honey

1 egg yolk

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season

all-purpose flour, for dusting

2 tbsp canola oil, for frying

Preheat the oven to 350. Spread the cashews on a baking sheet and

roast for 8 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully, as after about 5 minutes

the nuts brown quickly. (Or just buy roasted unsalted.)

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan with the onion, carrot, leek,

mushrooms, garlic and thyme. Saute for 10 minutes or until the

vegetables are soft and the liquid has evaporated. Add the rice and

cook for 1 minute. Allow to cool slightly.

Put the cashews in a food processor and pulse 6 or 7 times until

coarsely chopped. Add the rice mixture and the soy sauce, Gruyere,

bread crumbs, honey and egg yolk with some seasoning and pulse 5 or 6

times until just combined.

Form into 6 or 8 patties with flour-dusted hands (the mixture is a bit

wet). Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or overnight. Heat the

canola oil in a nonstick frying pan, dust the patties with flour, and

gently fry for about 3 minutes each side.