I did Spanish-language training in Guadalajara, Mexico where cooks regularly make dishes with tomatillos. I found this wonderful recipe for pork and tomatillo stew on line and modified it to fit what I had on hand in my kitchen. In place of boneless pork loin, I used Italian meatless sausage, substituted shredded egg plant for diced celery, pasta for potatoes, and I used a crock- pot. After my wife had some of the stew she said honey “you’ve got to call my mother with this recipe.” Here’s my vegan Italian sausage and tomatillo stew recipe.
Sausage and Tomatillo Stew
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Tofurky Italian sausage links cut into 3-inch chunks
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup of shredded egg plant
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 chili, seeded and finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons mild chile powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Splash of dried oregano
2 cups vegetable bullion broth
1 cup 1/2-inch-diced carrots
1 cup of whole grain elbow macaroni pasta (or 2 large red potatoes in one inch pieces)
2 cups of very ripe fresh diced tomatoes
1 pound tomatillos—husked, rinsed and cut into 1-inch dice
Hot sauce
Chopped cilantro, for garnish
Corn tortilla chips, for serving
Method
In a medium pot heat the oil. Season the meat and eggplant with salt and pepper and cook over high heat until browned on 2 sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the diced chili, garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Add the carrots, pasta, tomatoes and tomatillos. Transfer to a crock-pot cover and simmer on high heat for about 35 minutes. Ladle the stew into bowls, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with freshly baked buttermilk biscuits. Serves eight people.
