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5 from 1 vote

Vegan Cotechino

This vegan cotechino is the perfect meat free alternative for those that don't want to give up the Italian holiday traditions!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Servings: 8 portions (2x325 g loaves)
Calories: 83kcal
Author: Adriana Z.

Ingredients

...for the meat mix...

…for the fat mix…

  • 400 g Water
  • 120 g Sushi Rice
  • 1.5 tablespoon Red Wine
  • 4 Juniper Berries
  • 2 Cloves
  • 1 pinch Sea Salt
  • 1 pinch Red Food Colouring

…extras…

...serving suggestions...

  • Cooked Lentils* see notes for cooking suggestions

Instructions

  • In a large bowl add the soy mince and steaks with crumbles vegan chicken cubes, dry mushroom slices, bay leaf and food colouring. Pour the hot water and set aside until all water is absorbed (around 30 minutes).
  • Meanwhile cook the rice. In a medium sized pot add the sushi rice, salt, juniper berries, cloves and water, and stir well to combine. Bring the water to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed and rice is tender. Do not stir whilst the rice is cooking.
  • Once the rice is ready and still hot, stir in the red wine and allow the mixture to cool down.
  • Place the softened soy steaks over a chopping board and roughly chop them into small chunks.
  • Remove juniper berries, cloves and bay leaf from the two mixtures, then transfer both mix into a food processer bowl, along with the chopped soy steaks. Blend coarsely to keep different textures, you can also pulse if you have the option.
  • Stir in salt, pepper and psyllium husk powder.
  • Divide the mixture into two (roughly 320-ish grams each), and wrap in parchment paper in the shape of a log or thick sausage.
  • Place the sausages over a steaming basket and steam for 1 hour. If you have the instant pot you can fill the pot with an inch of water, place the steaming rack into it and set pressure cook mode for 20 minutes.
  • Allow the logs to cool down to touch, then unwrap them and let them cool completely.
  • For the casing. Place a bit of cold water into a plate wide enough for the rice paper disks to fit in.
  • Submerge one rice paper sheet for 7-10 seconds top and place it over a chopping board. Brush the rice sheet with oil. Soak another rice paper sheet and place it over the first disk. Brush with oil then place one loaf of cotechino in the middle of the wrap and wrap tightly, folding the short sides first over the sausage, then roll one long side over, tuck in it in tightly under the sausage and roll it away from you as you would a spring roll. Repeat the process with another rice disk.
  • Cooking tips. Ideally, if you own a vacuum sealer, you can place a cotechino in a bag, vacuum seal it and boil in water for 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can wrap it in abundant film and boil for the same amount of time, or slice the loaf into medallions and pan fry in a bit of vegetable oil.
  • Serve it straight away on a bed cooked lentils*.

Notes

For the lentils: Make a basic Italian soffritto with some finely diced onion, celery and carrot, add a bay leaf and a couple of crushed garlic cloves, season with salt and pepper, and add 2 cans of cooked lentils (alternatively you can boil 250 g of dry lentils in 1 liter of water with water, garlic, bay leaf and celery for 25 minutes. Season with salt, drain and add to the soffritto).
Cook for 10 minutes on medium heat, adjust the seasonings and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 83kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 9IU | Vitamin B12: 1µg | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg