mushroom bourguignon

I've wanted to make mushroom bourguignon ever since I saw it on Smitten Kitchen. I read her post and my immediate reaction was "That's what I'm making next time we get mushrooms!" I didn't want change the recipe much, except well... I did, accidentally. I grabbed what I thought was the tube of tomato paste and squeezed it in, only to realize that... Oops! I had grabbed the harissa! It added a hint of smoky heat that was nice, so it turned out to be a happy accident.

This recipe calls for a cup of a full-bodied red wine. I usually avoid cooking with wine just because I don't drink it and it seems wasteful to buy a whole bottle and then only use a cup. I was pleasantly surprised when Kenny got home from work (Whole Foods), and he had brought home a little one cup plastic bottle of Sutter Home. Yeah, that's pretty crappy wine but whatever, it's good enough for me! Kenny doesn't like mushrooms so he ate his egg noodles with half a can of baked beans. Yup, Sutter Home in a plastic bottle and canned baked beans... boy, are we classy or what?!


Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp Earth Balance, or butter
1 lb button mushrooms, halved
1 carrot, finely sliced
1/2 an onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
2 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbsp harissa (optional)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup frozen pearl onions
1/2 lb egg noodles

In a large pot over high heat, sear the mushrooms for about three or four minutes, then remove them from the pot and set aside. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter in the pot. Lower the flame to medium, toss in the carrots, onions and thyme, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the wine to the pot, bring to a rapid boil and let reduce in half, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, harissa and veggie broth. Add the mushrooms and once the liquid begins to boil, reduce the heat so it simmers for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, get a pot of water boiling for the noodles and prepare according to package directions. They should only need about 4 to 6 minutes to cook.

Add the pearl onions and simmer for 5 minutes. Don't be alarmed if the sauce looks thin up until this point, it will quickly thicken up with the additon of the flour. Add remaining 1 Tbsp butter and the flour into the stew. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 more minutes, or until it reaches your preferred consistency. Season to taste, and spoon over egg noodles to serve.