Shiitake Mushroom Sausages with Sauerkraut, Mustard, and Provolone

This is way too complicated to do every day. I mean, I babied these things to death to get them the way I wanted them. They were delicious and worth the time, but I fumbled through the process so much I'm not even sure I can tell you what I did. I'm just figuring it out, so it'll get easier. Right now they're sauteed, boiled, baked, and then grilled. Whew! Really, I'm not kidding.

In essence, the sausages are comprised of chopped vegetables held together with breadcrumbs and wheat gluten that's flavored with vegetable broth and sausage seasoning. Here is the rundown of what's inside:

1 carrot

1 celery

1 medium sweet onion

4 cloves of garlic

10 oz shiitake mushrooms

6 oz baby bella mushrooms

1 new potato

2 not beef boullion cubes

1 1/2 cups red lentils (cooked)

1 cap full sesame oil

1 cup panko

2/3 cup wheat gluten

tablespoon Penzy's breakfast sausage seasoning

This recipe makes about 14 dogs. All aromatics are pulsed in a food processor until very finely chopped but not mush. They they are sauteed until the onion is translucent. Do the same with the potato and mushrooms but add the boullion cubes. Mix that and all remaining ingredients in a large bowl. At this point, you could make burgers or meatballs or sausages. To form sausages, lay a 1/2-inch mound of the mixture across a piece of foil leaving a 1/2-inch margin on either end. Roll it tight like a sushi roll, and twist the ends shut. Find the middle of the large roll and twist it forming two smaller links. Repeat. Boil all links in a large pot for 20 minutes. This will activate the wheat gluten and help them stay together. Once the sausages have cooled, remove them from the foil and place them on a large baking sheet. Stick them on a 250 degree oven for one hour to dry out. Now when you are ready to eat, all you need to do is grill 'em.

At the OSOME gathering as we went around the table to tell what we made for everyone, Andria proclaimed that it is not a contest to see who can use the most local ingredients. "Too bad," I said jokingly, "because I would have won." The onion, garlic, shittake mushrooms, and new potatoes were all local. So there!