Mushroom Bourguignon

A certain TV appearance back in February left me with a glut of mushrooms. The "fancy" ones (oyster, shiitake, enoki) became part of an *epic* hotpot... (and they were very good - I'll have to include more mushrooms into my future hotpot plans)

Photo by Joyce Li

...while the more "common" ones (portobello, crimini, button) were all incorporated into this mushroom bourguignon.


This recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen via Montcarte. The flavour is super-rich and if you use nice, big slices of portobello, I'm sure you can trick non-vegetarians into thinking that this hearty, filling dish that there's meat in it!

In reviewing my photos versus those of Deb and Kim though, I think there are a few things I might do differently next time...

I definitely took the instruction of "dice carrots finely" a little too literally... (it's the knife, I swear!)


For the wine, I used Cabarnet Sauvignon... from a can! Which was surprisingly good - I wouldn't necessarily say it was "full-bodied", but it was very fruity. Perfect for when there's no way that a bottle can be finished.

And those blasted pearl onions! They were such a pain to peel - will use frozen next time.

Finally, I probably could've let the sauce thicken much, much more. Kim from Montcarte suggests adding cornstarch dissolved in water to help speed up the process.


Instead of the traditional egg noodles and sour cream, I served it with whole wheat spaghetti and plain greek yogurt (at least I didn't skimp on the parsley!) Despite these mistakes, the dish was ok, and I might make it again... properly!

Mushroom Bourguignon
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen/Montcarte
Makes 4 servings

• 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter, softened, divided
  
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
  
• 2 lb (900 g) portobello mushrooms, sliced (1/4 inch thick)
  
• ½ carrot, finely diced
  
• 1 small onion, finely diced
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 cup (250 mL) full-bodied red wine
  
• 2 cups (500 mL) beef or vegetable broth
  
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) tomato paste
  
• 1 tsp (5 mL) fresh thyme, or ½ tsp (2 mL) dried
  
• 1½ tbsp (22 mL) all-purpose flour
  
• 1 cup (250 mL) pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen)

1. Heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) of butter in a medium Dutch oven or heavy saucepan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken, but not yet release any liquid - about 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan.
   
2. Lower heat to medium and add olive oil. Toss the carrots, onions, thyme and salt and pepper to taste into the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
   
3. Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce by half. Stir in tomato paste and broth. Return mushrooms and any juices that may have collected into the pan. Once the liquid has boiled, reduce the temperature and simmer for 20 minutes, until mushrooms are very tender. Add pearl onions and simmer for 5 more minutes.
   
4. Combine remaining tbsp of butter and flour with a fork until combined; stir into stew. Simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, increase the heat and boil it down to reduce to the right consistency. Season to taste.
   
5. To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles (or whole wheat pasta, or rice), dollop with sour cream (or plain yogurt) and sprinkle with chives or parsley.

Nutrition Info (per serving): 239 calories, 9 g fat (4 g saturated), 15 mg cholesterol, 22 g carbohydrate (5 g fibre, 10 g sugar), 9 g protein, 406 mg sodium. An excellent source of niacin (vitamin B₃), folate (vitamin B₄), pantothenic acid (vitamin B₅), vitamin B₆, phosphorus, potassium, copper, manganese and selenium. A good source of thiamin (vitamin B₁), riboflavin (vitamin B₂) and zinc.

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