Apple Sage Sausage & Wild Mushroom Pot

Ingredients

Mushroom Stew Base
400g dried shiitakes
1 head garlic
2 tbsp. ginger minced,
2 bunches thyme
2 onions
4 cups fresh cremini mushrooms
2 cups red wine
2 oz. tamari
½ cup sake
2 tbsp potato starch (or more as needed)
1 tsp. black pepper

Polenta
4pc corn on cob
2 tbsp. Korean dried corn kernels
17 cups
4 cups stock (made from kernels, water, cobs)
1.5 tsp. salt
1 cups corn meal
3 tbsp. vegan butter
4 cups mixed wild mushrooms
6 sage leaves
1 bunch chives
2 Field Roast Smoked Apple & Sage Plant-Based Sausages, cut into ½ inch slices

Preparations

For the Mushroom Stew Base, soak dried shiitakes in hot water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, roast onions in a pan with oil, add garlic, ginger, and thyme. Get lots of color on the onions (roast hard). Add fresh cremini mushrooms, roast for another 15 minutes on high heat until everything gets golden brown. Put sake in pan to deglaze. Add red wine, tamari, soaked shiitake mushrooms (with a portion of the soaking liquid), potato starch, black pepper.

Let simmer for 2 hours and strain; season with salt and pepper.

For the polenta, take kernels off a cob of corn. Boil cobs in water with Korean dried corn kernels and simmer for 30 minutes and then strain.

Bring corn stock and salt to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. Pour corn meal into corn stock and whisk. Reduce to low heat, cover and simmer until thick. To finish, add vegan butter and more corn stock until creamy consistency.

To assemble, heat pan with oil. Sauté sliced Smoked Apple & Sage Plant-Based Sausages until a little brown on both sides. Add mushrooms to hot pan. Add mushroom stew base, made previously, and vegan butter. Pour over creamy polenta. Season with crispy sage and chives.