Chances are high that this vegetarian stew will fulfill any meaty craving. The strategy for this vegetarian recipe relies on beef bourguignon, the traditional French beef and pink wine stew — minus the meat. Mushrooms handily step in as the principle ingredient. Not solely are mushrooms infamous for his or her meaty consistency and heft, however they comprise glutamate, an amino acid that gives savory, wealthy umami qualities to meals. True, they don’t present the identical quantity of protein as meat, however they do have the next protein content material than most greens, they usually carry a treasure trove of vitamins. Mushrooms are a wealthy supply of fiber, nutritional vitamins and antioxidants, and they’re fat- and carbohydrate-free.
For this stew, benefit from the mushroom season and select a range. Shiitake, portobello and brown cremini mushrooms are a fantastic place to begin. Select these with agency caps, and retailer them in open paper luggage within the fridge to permit them to breathe. To scrub mushrooms, rub with a moist paper towel and use a brush to remove any dust. You may run them below a trickle of water, if wanted, however don’t douse or submerge them, as a result of they are going to act like sponges and take in the liquid. Trim the ends and thickly slice or halve the shiitake and cremini mushrooms. To scrub the portobellos, trim the stems and scoop away the gills. Minimize the portobellos in bite-size chunks or thickly slice.
Mushroom Bourguignon
Serves 4 to five
INGREDIENTS
Additional-virgin olive oil
2½ kilos assorted mushrooms, akin to portobellos, shiitakes, creminis, ends trimmed, brushed clear
Kosher salt and freshly floor black pepper
4 shallots, peeled, thickly sliced
2 carrots, thickly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups full-bodied pink wine
1½ cups mushroom or vegetable inventory, or extra as wanted
1 bay leaf
1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Parsley, for garnishing
DIRECTIONS
Warmth 1 tablespoon oil in a big Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high warmth. Add the mushrooms (in batches if essential) and frivolously season with salt and pepper. Prepare dinner till they start to launch their juices and brown on the edges, about 6 minutes, stirring steadily. Switch to a bowl.
If the pan is dry, add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the shallots and carrots and frivolously season with salt and black pepper. Saute over medium warmth till the greens start to melt and the carrots brighten in colour, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and saute till aromatic, about 1 minute extra. Add the tomato paste and stir for about 30 seconds to coat the substances and prepare dinner the tomato paste.
Pour within the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring up any brown bits, then add the inventory and bay leaf. Return the mushrooms to the pan. They need to be simply coated with liquid; add extra inventory to cowl if not. Carry to a boil, then scale back the warmth to medium-low. Partially cowl the pot and simmer till the greens are tender, about half-hour.
Take away the lid and proceed to simmer to barely scale back and thicken the liquid, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon vinegar and the brown sugar, and style for seasoning. Add extra vinegar and salt if desired.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley. The stew will be ready as much as someday prematurely of serving. Refrigerate till use, and gently rewarm to serve.
Lynda Balslev is a San Francisco Bay Space cookbook creator, meals and journey author and recipe developer.
