Eat Comfy, Go Lightly

I’ve been a vegetarian for about 20 years now, and I never really feel like I’m missing out on amazing food.  Sometimes though, I get a little sad when I think that I’m missing out on certain types of classical cooking.  I feel like making certain foods is some sort of a rite of passage for people who cook, and there are certain foods that I just don’t make.  Beef is one of them.  And after seeing the movie Julie and Julia, I decided that “boeuf bourguignon” is one of those “rite of passage” foods that I’ll never make.  

I became curious though, and googled Julia Child’s boeuf bourguignon recipe.  As I read through the ingredients and instructions, my suspicions about this recipe and my never making it were confirmed (“saute the lardons…dry the pieces of beef…”).  But as I kept reading the recipe, I got to the mushroom and pearl onion part.  The thought of mushrooms and pearl onions cooked in a red-wine sauce sounded so good and I thought that “this must be a thing” – and it is.  I did a google search, and found all sorts of vegetarian-bourguignon recipes.  My favorite was (obviously) this amazing looking version from smitten kitchen - so I decided to do a take on it, cutting out the fat and adding in a few of my own twists.  Result was delicious.  

This is such a perfect meal served over simple baked/grilled tofu (for protein) or brown rice/whole-grain noodles.  The sauce uses just one cup of red wine (unlike Julia Child’s “entire bottle” version) – and one glass a day is supposed to be good for you, right? Enjoy.

Portobello Mushroom Bourguignon serves 4 

2 lbs. portobello mushroom caps, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 cup full-bodied red wine (cabernet or bordeaux work well)

2 cups vegetable or mushroom broth

1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

2 tbsp. tomato paste

3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary

1 1/2 tbsp. flour

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

nonstick cooking spray

a few pinches of salt and pepper

Spray the bottom of a pot with nonstick cooking spray and heat the pot for 45 seconds over medium heat.  Working in batches (and adding cooking spray as necessary), sear the mushrooms for about 2 minutes and set aside.

Reduce the heat to low, and re-spray the pot with nonstick spray.  Add the onion, carrot and rosemary and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until softened (about 10 minutes).  Add in the garlic and cook for an additional minute.  Add in the red wine, increase the heat to high, and cook for about 5 minutes until the wine is reduced by about half.  Add in the tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, nutmeg and broth.  Bring to a boil and add in the mushrooms (and any liquid that may have collected with them), peas and pearl onions.  Reduce heat and allow stew to simmer for 20-25minutes, until mushrooms are very tender.

Combine the flour and almond milk in a small bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy. Slowly stir in the flour mixture. Continue to simmer the stew for 25-30 minutes, until the stew is thick.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve over tofu, brown rice, noodles, etc.  If adding goat cheese, crumble a little goat cheese over the stew before serving (yum!).  

This entry was posted on Friday, October 16th, 2009 at 9:42 pm and is filed under cooking and recipes, French, Our Favorites!, Tali, vegetarian. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.