Vegetarian albondigas - Oats balls

Ingredients

150g oat grain – 100g texturized vegetable protein (TVP) – 1 medium sized onion – 2 cloves of garlic – 1/2 red pepper – 1 egg – 6cm strip of kombu – 3 tbsp white flour – 2 tbsp bread crumbs - soy sauce – black pepper – salt – some flour to coat - vegetable oil to fry

For the sauce: 1 onion – 1 clove of garlic – white wine – 600ml vegetable stock – black pepper – extra virgin olive oil – salt

Wash the grain and put it in the pressure cooker, with double water, salt and kombu. Cook slowly for 40 minutes. Drain off the water and remove kombu. Set aside.

Soak PVT for 30 minutes. Press with the hands to drain excess water. Add some soy sauce and marinate for 15 minutes.

Chop onion, garlic and red pepper and stir fry in a little olive oil until it starts to soften. Add TVP and cook for five minutes. Add salt, ground pepper and combine with boiled oats.

Beat the egg and add to the mixture, with the flour and breadcrumbs, mixing thoroughly. Using two spoons, make balls, coat in flour and fry in vegetable oil until golden. Remove excess oil with paper.

Prepare the sauce, chopping onion and garlic and cooking in a litlle olive oil. When they are soft, and wine, evaporate alcohol and mix with vegetable stock. Boil for 30 minutes and use the mixer to leave a soft sauce. Correct salt and pepper.

Put the balls in a wide pan, so they make only one layer. Cover with the sauce and boil for one minute, shaking the pan to prevent sticking, and thicking the sauce. Let them stand for 20 minutes before serving

oooOOOooo

So this is my first post, and I will try to show you some spanish-flavoured veg recipes!

Meatballs, known in spanish as albondigas, are a typical dish in my country. In this vegetarian version, I have substituted meat with oat grain and TVP. Cooking the cereal before, makes them very soft and juicy.

We have to be careful while making the balls, because dough is quite difficult to manage. It is easier to use spoons, instead of your hands. If absolutely necessary, we can add more flour or bread, but the fewer the better.

We can serve them with chips, or a big salad. It is not a heavy dish, in comparison to meatballs, as it is relatively low-fat. Hope you like it!

My blog (in spanish) @ La cocina delokos