Mushroom Bourguignon

I’ve been on a bit of a French cooking kick lately (first it was Indian, then Asian, now French) and I’m absolutely loving it.  I pick up Julia Childs’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking every chance I get.  So it might be a surprise that this version of the classic French dish “Beef Bourguignon” does not come from Julia’s book nor does it have beef.  Although I plan to make the original version in a classic dutch oven in the very near future, Julia’s version is just…well…time consuming.  Plus, I don’t normally have beef just sitting around in my freezer.

Rather, I love vegetables and frequently make vegetarian/vegan friendly dishes without consciously attempting to do so.  This variation of Bourguignon is just that: a vegetarian take on the French classic made with earthy yummy mushrooms in a bubbly red wine and broth sauce.  Talk about Clearly Delicious.  Once again, many thanks to Deb at Smitten Kitchen for another wonderful recipe!

Mushroom Bourguignon

This recipe comes from Deb over at Smitten Kitchen (the original can be found here).  Because this recipe does not require the use of a dutch oven, or a 3-hour roasting period in the oven, it’s quick and very easy to make (about 30 minutes after you’ve prepped the ingredients).  Serve with a classic French Baguette and you have comfort food at its most vegetarianist.

Ingredients:

* 2 tablespoons olive oil

* 2 tablespoons butter

* 2 pounds portobello mushrooms

* 1 small carrot, diced fine

* 1 small onion, diced fine

* 2-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

* 1 cup full bodied wine (I used merlot)

* 2 cups beef broth (can use Vegetable for the vegetarian or vegan variation)

* 2 tablespoons tomato paste

* 1 teaspoon fresh thyme

* 1 cup pearl onions, peeled

* 1 1/2 tablespoons flour

* salt and pepper, to taste

* parsley for garnish

Serve with: Egg Noodles (or Vegan Noodles)

1.) Wash ingredients and prep: mushrooms should be washed, but left whole; onion and carrot should be chopped finely; thyme leaves should be separated from stem; seasonings should be measured accordingly.

2.) Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to a saucepan.  Melt and bring to high heat.  Sear mushrooms (about three to four minutes).

3.) Lower heat to medium.  Remove mushrooms to a separate dish and sauté onions, thyme, and carrots until cooked with a few pinches of salt and the leftover butter and olive oil.

3.) Add garlic and cook for about one minute.

4.) Add wine and mix to integrate.  Scrape bottom of pan so that any bits are now mixed into the broth.  Simmer until mixture has reduced by half (you’ll want to turn your heat up for this step).

5.) Add tomato paste and broth and mix to integrate.  Return mushrooms (and juices) to the pan and stir.  Allow mixture to cook for 20 minutes simmering, or until mushrooms are tender.

6.) Whisk in 1 1/2 tablespoon flour and allow to cook for an additional 10 minutes or until broth has thickened.  Season with salt and pepper and add 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley.  Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package instructions.

7.) Serve over egg noodles (or vegan noodle alternative).  Sprinkle with fresh parsley and cracked pepper.

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