Cauliflower Etouffée With Andouille

If you’ve never heard of it before, etouffée is a Cajun/Creole dish from New Orleans that traditionally consists of seafood (usually crawfish) “smothered” in a rich, spicy gravy thickened with a butter-based roux. So, um, unfortunately not such a vegan friendly meal. Given its focus on animal products, I should hate Cajun/Creole food, but I just can’t break up with it. I set about making a vegan version and the end result was so good, I’m tempted to throw a Mardi Gras party just to have an excuse to show it off.

Cauliflower Etouffée With Andouille [Vegan]

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower
•  1 tablespoon (or less) olive oil
•  1/2 teaspoon Old Bay
•  1 (.13 gram) packet of saffron powder, divided
•  1 large pinch of sea salt
•  2 cups vegetable broth
•  1 tablespoon sherry
•  1 teaspoon sugar
•  2 seitan sausages, sliced
•  1 tablespoon vegan butter or oil of your choice
•  1 tablespoon flour
•  1 small white onion, chopped finely
•  1 small green pepper, chopped finely
•  2 teaspoons tomato paste
•  2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
•  1/4 teaspoon (or more) paprika
•  1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
•  1/4 teaspoon oregano
•  1 splash hot sauce

Preparation

1. Preheat over to 375F.
2. Chop cauliflower into bite size florets. Toss with enough olive oil to coat, and season with Old Bay, a pinch of the saffron powder, and salt. Roast on a cookie sheet for about 45 minutes, checking and stirring every 15 minutes, until all pieces are well-browned.
3. While the cauliflower is roasting, heat the vegetable broth, sherry, a pinch of saffron, and sugar and bring to a simmer. (I use the sugar to evoke the natural sweetness of seafood).
4. Heat a splash of olive oil in a large Dutch oven and brown sausage slices, then remove from pan and set aside.
5. Make roux in same pot: Melt butter in a large Dutch oven, scraping up any browned bits of sausage stuck to the bottom of the pan. Stir in flour gradually until the consistency of gravy, adding a touch more butter if it appears too thick. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the color of butterscotch.
6. Stir the pepper and onion into the roux and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
7. Stir in tomato paste and season with the rest of the saffron packet, nutritional yeast, and remaining spices.
8. Add warm broth gradually by the ladle, stirring well until incorporated.
9. Bring mixture to a simmer, being careful not to allow it to boil. Simmer for at least 15 minutes until the peppers are soft, the onions are no longer visible, and the gravy is thick.
10. Stir in roasted cauliflower and sausage. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes, allowing the cauliflower time to soak up the gravy.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/cauliflower-etouffee-with-andouille/