Mushroom Bourguignon
Mushrooms braised in red wine with carrots, shallots and herbs until the sauce turns dark and glossy. Rich, earthy, with a meaty silky texture and that slow-cooked sweetness underneath. Everything you want from a bourguignon. The sauce alone is worth making to dip bread in!
Ingredients
- 500 gr white button mushrooms
- 500 gr brown chestnut mushrooms
- 20 gr dried porcini optional, but recommended
- 3 carrots
- 3 shallots
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 25 gr unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 1½ tbsp plain flour
- 300 ml red wine
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- 2 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- salt and black pepper
- 1 handful parsley fresh chopped to garnish
Equipment
- 1 knife
Instructions
1. Prepare the vegetables
- Slice the carrots and shallots thinly, mince the garlic, and cut the mushrooms into generous bite-sized pieces. If using dried porcini, cover them with hot water and leave to soak for 20 minutes.
2. Brown the mushrooms
- Heat the olive oil in the cocotte over medium heat. Add the mushrooms in batches to avoid overcrowding, and sauté until golden and their juices have evaporated. Remove and set aside. This caramelisation is where the depth of flavour comes from.
3. Cook the aromatics
- In the same pan, melt the butter. Add the shallots, carrots and garlic and cook gently for 5–7 minutes, until softened and beginning to caramelise.
4. Add tomato purée and flour
- Stir in the tomato purée and flour and cook for a minute, stirring, to lose the raw flour taste and thicken the sauce.
5. Deglaze and build the sauce
- Slowly pour in the red wine, scraping up the browned bits from the base. Add the vegetable stock, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary, and return the mushrooms to the pan. If using porcini, add them now along with their soaking liquid, strained and leaving the grit behind.
6. Simmer gently
- Bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the carrots are tender.
7. Season and serve
- Remove the bay leaves and herb sprigs. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Scatter with chopped parsley and serve.
Notes
- Serve over creamy mashed potato, fresh egg noodles or polenta, with bread for the sauce.
- Dried porcini and their strained soaking liquid add real depth if you can get them.
- Better the next day, once the sauce has settled and deepened.