Vegan sobrasada (spreadable chorizo)

A smoky paprika, chorizo-flavour spread made with sweet potato and pumpkin. Packed with carotenes and a BBQ taste that lingers in your mouth.

Hola!

Today I bring you my plant-based take on a Mediterranean classic spread from the Balearic Islands: sobrasada. The original spread is a raw cured sausage made of pork meat and spices, but the main ingredient that gives its characteristic flavour is my favourite smoky spice: Lord Paprika (bow, peasants!). 

I have seen vegan sobrasada in some health shops in Spain, but if you want to give it a go to make your own from scratch, keep reading below.

PLANT POWER, MAKE UP!

The pumpkin and sweet potato go well together and give the texture and orange colour. I added some soy sauce to give that extra umami and flavour depth.

Since we only need a small piece of pumpkin, I bought a quarter of a pumpkin to make pumpkin soup so I used a quarter of the quarter for the sobrasada and I roasted all the ingredients for the soup at the same time. Also, I know in the UK it is more common to find butternut squash. However, for this recipe, we are seeking the Halloween kind of pumpkin with its stringy texture, so I would insist in getting that one.

Smoky sea salt is the secret to this spread. If you cannot find it, regular sea salt may not achieve the same smoky depth, but you can definitely give it a try.

Once I made my vegan sobrasada, I thought I wanted it in a baguette. Then I remembered the typical Word-printed and laminated Spanish bar menu with a long list of baguettes to order, and there is always one, very emblematic of the Valencia area: Almussafes baguette (bocadillo Almussafes), which has sobrasada, caramelised onion and melted cheese. Is your mouth watering already? Mine was almost dripping while I was doing the photoshoot for the blog, rushing to finish and bite that crunchy toasted bread with smoky sobrasada and melted vegan cheese inside. I thought that after I massively teased you, I would share the bocadillo Almussafes recipe as well as a serving suggestion for sobrasada.


VEGAN SOBRASADA (SPREADABLE CHORIZO)


Makes: 1 small tub
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1h 

INGREDIENTS

200g pumpkin (a 16th wedge of a big pumpkin, or a quarter of a quarter)
400g of sweet potato, cut into pieces
2 garlic cloves
4 tsp. sweet paprika
1/2 tbsp. soy sauce
Smoked sea salt and pepper to taste


INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Bake the pumpkin wedge, sweet potato and garlic cloves in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 1 hour, they might be ready at different times. It needs to be not only fully cooked but the surface must be caramelised. Cool down.
  2. Remove the pulp from the pumpkin and the sweet potato, and remove the peel of the garlic cloves. Put all three in a bowl, removing any dry or burned ends. Add the paprika, soy sauce and smoked salt and mix well. We don't want to make a smooth purée. We want a chunky texture, so don't overdo it. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  3. Put in a seal tight container and leave in the fridge for a couple of hours to let the flavours settle.

You would normally eat it cold from the fridge and spread onto some bread, but you could warm it up in a frying pan if you want before spreading.


BOCADILLO ALMUSSAFES



INGREDIENTS

Your favourite bread (baguette, ciabatta, etc.)
A thick layer of vegan sobrasada
Vegan cheese slices
1 small onion, peeled and sliced
Sea salt


INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Fry the onion until caramelised at low heat, keep stirring and adding small amounts of boiling water so that it doesn't stick. Add salt to taste towards the end.
  2. Spread a good layer of sobrasada onto the baguette. Put a couple of vegan cheese slices. Add the caramelised onion on top.
  3. Put the baguette in the oven or under the grill for 5-10 minutes.

Bon profit!