Festive Winter Sausage

This recipe is great for holidays and celebrations. The spice blend is reflective of traditional turkey stuffing with a more gamey kind of quality. The addition of dried wild mushrooms and dried cranberries gives this sausage an earthy sweetness.

Basic Sausage Recipe
1 ¼ cup vital wheat gluten
¼ cup nutritional yeast
½ cup white beans (navy, cannellini) mashed or blended
2 oz tomato paste
1 cup of vegetable stock (or mushroom water)
1 tbsp olive oil

Sausage Seasoning
1/4 cup of dried flaked wild mushrooms (soaked in hot water and drained)
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried marjoram
2 tsp dried sage
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried parsley
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper

Mix together the wet and dry ingredients separately. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix together with your hands. The dough will come together quickly into a sticky ball. The dough should be wet but not stick to the bowl. Knead to ensure that the gluten is well developed.

Form a single ball and cut into 6 equal pieces. Tear 6 pieces of tin foil about 8 inches long. Using your hands form each piece into a sausage shape about 1 ¼ inches wide by 5 inches long. Place the roughly formed sausage on the tin foil near a corner and roll it tightly folding in the sides as you roll to form a closed cylinder.

Place the wrapped sausages in a boiling steamer. Steam for 40 minutes at a medium heat. Once done, unwrap and seal in small freezer bags to retain freshness. These freeze very well.

Alternately, make larger logs by cutting the single ball in two. Roll out a log and wrap in as above with larger tin foil pieces. Steam for 50 minutes.

Smoking Sausages
Smoke this sausage lightly for 20 minutes at 150F.

Steaming
I use a Japanese ceramic steamer that goes directly on my stovetop. This works the best for me. You can use any steamer. Just ensure is has a good seal and single vent.