Well, this is the vegetarian dish to serve them. I kid you not - this will have the most ardent carnivore scratching his head about how he (again, I'm just saying, most of them are men) can have been so wrong to have ruled out an entire section of every restaurant menu and recipe book by refusing to consider eating a solely plant-based dish. This right here is how you school them.
The dish may take more than 20 minutes to put together and a little bit of effort in advance, but if you have never sauteed mushrooms which have been marinated in wine before, then you and anyone living within smelling distance have a treat in store! Wow, my house smelled good!
I can't stress how rich and flavorful this stew is. So if, like me, you like bold, rich sauciness and are trying to go at least flexitarian, if not vegetarian, this is the dish for you. Slurp, enjoy, and then beach yourself on the nearest sofa to perhaps rue the error of your previously dedicated carnivorous ways!
Chestnut and Mushroom Bourguignon
Serves 5-6
Adapted from www.chickpeasandcharcoal.com
olive oil
1lb small mushrooms (I used a mixture of white and cremini), halved or quartered
150g cooked chestnuts, sliced in half
12 oz carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
14oz bag frozen petite whole onions (aka pearl onions), thawed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
10 fl oz hot vegetable stock
1 tsp marmite
1/2 tsp brown miso paste
13 fl oz red wine (about 2/3 of a bottle)
4 TBSP brandy
1 TBSP cornflour
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper
creamy mashed potatoes to serve
1. The day before you want to cook, or at least several hours before, put the mushrooms in a large bowl and pour over the red wine. Leave to marinate overnight or for at least a few hours, stirring every now and again so that all the mushrooms get a good dunk in the wine.
2. Preheat oven to 400F (200C).
3. Put the carrots on a baking tray and toss with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper.
4. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes by which time they should be almost fully cooked, but not completely soft.
5. In a large skillet, heat some olive oil over medium high heat, then toss in the thawed pearl onions. Saute for around 5 minutes by which time they should be browning nicely. Set the onions aside.
6. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the marinade wine in a pitcher (DO NOT TOSS!). Saute the drained mushrooms in the same skillet that the onions were cooked in, adding a little more oil, if necessary. While you are doing this, add the marmite and miso paste to the hot stock and stir to dissolve.
7. When the mushrooms are starting to soften, add back in the onions, with the garlic and caraway seeds and saute for a further minute. Then add the chestnuts, hot stock mixture, brandy, chopped thyme and 200ml of the wine marinade (don't toss the rest, you will need some of it later!).
8. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 20 minutes so the liquid reduces. I found the best way to do this, let the alcohol in the wine and brandy cook off, and retain enough sauce, was to simmer with the lid off for around 10minutes, and then with the lid fully on for the remainder. If the mixture is drying out, you can add some more of the wine marinade, or some more stock.
9. Stir in the carrots and check the seasoning. If it needs it (depends on the stock you are using) add some salt and pepper to taste).
10. In a small bowl, mix the cornflour with a little of the remaining wine marinade to make a 'slurry'. Stir into the pan, and allow the mixture to bubble a little longer until it thickens to the desired consistency. If you have overdone it on the cornflour, just add a little more stock or wine marinade.
11. Serve over some creamy mashed potatoes with a nice green vegetable on the side.
No comments:
Post a Comment