I had made these way back in the spring of 2013 for a dinner party we were having and several of the guests were vegans. Its based a recipe i had found but when i was testing it prior to the dinner party it was a bit dry, so i changed many of the ingredients and took the approach of a ratatouille so it it had more depth of flavor - Enjoy
1 pound cremini mushrooms, halved
2 cups dark beer or any beer really
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced, then chopped
2 red bell peppers, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and minced
1 shallot, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 6oz can tomato paste
¼ cup molasses
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or to taste)
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive Oil
6 Potato buns
Shredded red cabbage or lettuce, for garnish
Directions
Pulse mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped, set aside
In a deep large skillet over medium high heat drizzle olive oil, once simmering add, onions, shallots and peppers and sauté until soft. Reduce heat, add garlic and tomato paste and sauté for an additional minute, or until tomato paste has dissolved. Now add the walnuts, spices, herbs, seasoning and the mushrooms, sauté until the mushrooms have released most of their water, about 5 minutes. Now add beer, molasses, increase heat, bring a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the mixture becomes thick, like a sloppy joe consistency, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.
Spoon onto buns, and garnish