VEGAN "LIVERWURST" (WITH "BRAUNSCHWEIGER" VARIATION) FROM "WORLD VEGAN FEAST"-- TRUST ME, IT'S DELICIOUS!-- AND INFO ON LIQUID SMOKE

 

Homemade Vegan "Liverwurst", from my book "World Vegan Feast" ready to be served with pumpernickel bread, whole grain crackers, rye crisp, or crudites at a holiday party.

 

I confess that I really liked liverwurst in pre-vegan days. And, judging by the recipes and info online, I am not alone. I devised a recipe that tastes very much like it, in my opinion (and in the opinion of some real German testers), but involves no meat, is easy to make, can be frozen, and has a wonderful flavor. It makes good sandwiches, too and is great to have in the refrigerator during the summer, for a quick meal or an appetizer.

The recipe is seasoned the way I like it, but some German testers also added a bit of ground cloves and cardamom. 

Note: You will need two nonstick 5 3/4 x 3 x 21/8-inch fruitcake/mini loaf pans for this recipe. Alternatively, you can use a 8-inch round cake pan for the whole recipe.

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S VEGAN "LIVERWURST"
From my book “World Vegan Feast” © Bryanna Clark Grogan
Servings: 16
Yield: Two 5 3/4 x 3 x 2 1/8-inch loaves

With an easy addition, this can be turned into A VEGAN "braunschweiger", which is a smoked "liverwurst". If you liked braunschweiger in the past, just add a little liquid smoke (see NOTE below) to taste, starting with a 1/2 teaspoon.

Dark sesame oil for oiling the pans
1 (12.3 oz.) box extra-firm SILKEN tofu OR 12 oz. medium-firm tofu
1 medium russet potato (about 4 oz.), scrubbed and cut into 1-inch dice (no need to remove the high-fiber peel!) 
1/2 medium onion (about 2.5 oz.), peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
1/2 cup raw shelled sunflower seeds
1/4 cup wholewheat flour, OR stone ground cornmeal, OR soy flour, OR chickpea flour (besan)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons warm water
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon organic sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1/2 tablespoon fresh, chopped)
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1/2 tablespoon fresh, chopped)
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram (or 1/2 tablespoon fresh, chopped)
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
a few gratings of freshly-ground nutmeg
freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil two nonstick 5 3/4 x 3 x 2 1/8-inch fruitcake/mini loaf pans or an 8-inch round cake pan liberally with the dark sesame oil and line the bottoms with baking parchment cut to fit. Oil the parchment, too.

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender (preferably) or food processor and blend until very smooth.

Divide the mixture between the two prepared nonstick 5 3/4 x 3 x 2 1/8-inch fruitcake/mini loaf pans or 8-inch round cake pan. Smooth the tops evenly.

Cover each pan with foil (oiled on the part that will touch the liverwurst mixture). Place the pans inside of an 8 x 12-inch shallow baking pan with about 1 inch of hot water in the bottom. Bake for 1 hour.

Cool the liverwurst in the pans on a cooling rack until firmly set. Carefully loosen around the sides of the pans with a table knife and invert them onto a platter. Cover the plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to a week.

If you would like to freeze the liverwurst, cut them into whatever sizes are useful for you, wrap well with foil, then place in a zipper-lock bag, seal and freeze for up to three months.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving or 1/ 8th of a loaf): 61.6 calories; 39% calories from fat; 2.9g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 148.9mg sodium; 182.5mg potassium; 5.6g carbohydrates; 1.4g fiber; 0.9g sugar; 4.2g net carbs; 4.4g protein; 1.2 points.

NOTE: 
Nervous about using liquid smoke? Here's some info from Cook's Illustrated magazine:

"Liquid Smoke
What is liquid smoke and how is it made? We were among the many people who assume that there must be some kind of synthetic chemical chicanery going on in the making of "liquid smoke" flavoring. But according to the Colgin Company (which has been bottling liquid smoke since the 19th century), that's not the case. Liquid smoke is made by channeling smoke from smoldering wood chips through a condenser, which quickly cools the vapors, causing them to liquefy (just like the drops that form when you breathe on a piece of cold glass). The water-soluble flavor compounds in the smoke are trapped within this liquid, while the non-soluble, carcinogenic tars and resins are removed by a series of filters, resulting in a clean, smoke-flavored liquid.

Curious about the manufacturing process for this product, we wondered if we could bottle up some smoke for ourselves. To do this, we created a small-scale mock-up of the commercial method, involving a kettle grill, a duct fan, a siphon, and an ice-chilled glass coil condenser.

In a comparison of homemade and store-bought liquid smoke, homemade was praised for its clean, intense, smoky flavor. But we spent an entire day and $50 on materials to produce 3 tablespoons of homemade liquid smoke. Commercial liquid smoke is just fine, especially if you avoid brands with additives such as salt, vinegar, and molasses. Wright's Liquid Smoke ($2.99 for 3.5 ounces) is our top-rated brand and contains nothing but smoke and water." 


Enjoy!