Mushroom Bourguignon
Julia Child is known for her accuracy, dedication, and thoroughness in developing exquisite recipes for the home cook.
Ingredients
Olive oil
- 2 (10 ounce) packages of whole cremini mushrooms, stemmed
Salt
- Black pepper
- 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced, about 1 1/2 cups
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped, about 1 cup
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cup red wine (Burgundy, Chianti, or other full-bodied wine)*
- 2 cup vegetable broth
- 3 to 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- About 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
For the Braised Onions
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup white pearl onions (if using frozen, defrost first)
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 2 or 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt
For Serving
- Boiled or mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles
- Parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add whole mushrooms and about 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, while stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Remove mushrooms and place in a bowl, then set aside. In the same pot, add a little more oil. Add onion and carrot. Cook, while stirring occasionally, until carrots have softened, about 15 minutes. Add mushrooms back into the pot, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and stir together. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir again. Add wine, broth, garlic, tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir, cover, then simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes. When done, sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and carrots should be fork-tender. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Meanwhile, make the braised onions. Heat oil in a pan. Add pearl onions and cook, rolling them around to brown evenly, for about 5 minutes. Add broth, a good sprinkle of salt, thyme, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until onions are tender and most of the broth has evaporated. Onions and mushrooms should be done at about the same time. While both the onions and the mushrooms are cooking, prepare potatoes, rice, or noodles for serving. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs from mushrooms and onions. To serve, place potatoes, rice, or noodles in a bowl, ladle on mushrooms and sauce, then place several onions on top. Garnish with parsley, if desired. *While you may substitute the same amount of broth for the wine (with one tablespoon of vinegar per cup), you may lose the lovely full-bodied experience of the sauce; use wine if you can, the alcohol cooks off.
