Some dishes are ready in no-time and some take a bit of work. This one takes a bit of work, but you’ll be richly rewarded, especially if you love mushrooms as much as I do. This is a riff on the old and respected French culinary icon, beef bourguignon, transformed into mushrooms bourguignon. And it’s vegan. And gluten-free. And outstanding.
You’ll have to make an effort to get the full effect from this one. Homemade mushroom stock, blanched and peeled pearl onions, sweet sorghum flour. And what do you get? A veritable umami-fest of flavor…deeply earthy, mushroomy, winey, and mildly herby from the thyme and bay leaf. Hearty and bracing, perfect for a cold night’s dinner served with rice and a butter lettuce salad dressed with Dijon vinaigrette.
Mushrooms Bourguignon
Ingredients
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
2 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds chopped mixed mushrooms (I used cremini and Portobello)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup sliced shallots
1 small carrot, scraped, thinly sliced into half-moons
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 cup full-bodies red wine (cabernet, burgundy)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
20 pearl onions, blanched and peeled (instructions will be on the bag)
1 tablespoon butter or butter substitute, softened (I use Earth Balance)
1 ½ tablespoons sweet sorghum flour (you can use regular all-purpose if you’re not gluten-free)
Chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish
Method
1. Bring the stock to a boil. Add the dried mushrooms and let soak for 1 hour. Strain through cheesecloth, and add additional stock to make 2 cups.
2. Heat the first 2 tablespoons of oil to medium-high in a large frying pan.
3. Add the mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms begin to give off some of their liquor. Remove from heat and reserve in a bowl.
4. Heat the second 2 tablespoons of oil to medium-high in the same frying pan.
5. Add the shallots and carrots and sauté until the shallots are limp and carrots darken a little.
6. Add the garlic, thyme, and bay leaf and sauté for 1 minute.
7. Add the wine and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the wine by half.
8. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the tomato paste, mushroom stock, and mushrooms along with the mushroom liquor in the bowl. Simmer for 15 minutes.
9. Add the pearl onions and simmer until they’re heated through, about 5 minutes.
10. Whip the butter and flour together with a fork. Add to the pan and stir to combine with the cooking liquid. Simmer about 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
11. Garnish with the parsley and serve with rice or wide noodles.
Serves 6