mushroom bourguignon

In the first weeks of changing over to a full vegetarian diet, I was craving mushrooms like you would not believe. I think I could have eaten them for lunch or dinner or both. I think that they helped me slowly wean away from my craving for meat. I still adore mushrooms and really think they add character to most dishes they are in.

To plan my meals for the week I usually first go through my Google Reader and see if I starred any new recipes that are "must make now", than I go to cookbooks and lastly search for what I am feeling like or to go with ingredients I have around the house. As I looked for a dish that could be a new vegetarian comfort food for a night that was forecast to be a very snowy, I stumbled on a post by the Smitten Kitchen for Mushroom Bourguigon.  I decided this was a "must make now"! 

The recipe turned out pretty good. I didn't follow the directions so well and added the chicken stock at the same time as the wine. I think it took away from the dish but it was still edible and will probably made again when I am longing for a comfort dish! 

Mushroom Bourguignon, from the Smitten Kitchen

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 pounds portobello mushrooms, in 1/4-inch slices (save the stems for another use) (you can use cremini instead, as well)
1/2 carrot, finely diced
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup full-bodied red wine
2 cups beef or vegetable broth (beef broth is traditional but vegetable to make it vegetarian; it works with either)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen)
Egg noodles, for serving
Sour cream and chopped chives or parsley, for garnish (optional)

Heat the one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a medium Dutch oven or heavy sauce pan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken, but not yet release any liquid — about three or four minutes. Remove them from pan.

Lower the flame to medium and add the second tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the carrots, onions, thyme, a few good pinches of salt and a several grinds of black pepper into the pan and cook for 10, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for just one more minute.

Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce it by half. Stir in the tomato paste and the broth. Add back the mushrooms with any juices that have collected and once the liquid has boiled, reduce the temperature so it simmers for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are very tender. Add the pearl onions and simmer for five minutes more.

Combine remaining butter and the flour with a fork until combined; stir it into the stew. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency. Season to taste.

To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles, dollop with sour cream (optional) and sprinkle with chives or parsley.