(Portobello) Mushroom Bourguignon to break in my new All-Clad pan!

TAP, TAP, TAP... Hello? Is this thing on? I've been without Comcast internet and telephone for 24 hours! I survived it, but it's good to be back! Now, I'm even farther behind in posting about 1 week and a half's worth of cooking and baking! Did you miss me? I missed all of you! I'd better get started...

 This tasty recipe was inspired by my blogger friend, Muneeba who found it from "Two Spoons", who found it from "Smitten Kitten", so I figured this must be a winner.  For some reason, I bought large Portobello mushrooms at Trader Joe's.  I had thought I might stuff them, but when I saw this recipe I knew it would be perfect as a meatless dish.  I was thankful that I had all the ingredients to make this, including red wine (which Muneeba didn't use) and a bag of Parpardelle Pasta.  I also decided to include bacon with this recipe, since I've used this when making a classic Bourguignon.

I had just received my new All-Clad 12 " skillet with a lid that I had ordered online.  This little beauty retails for $180.00 but I found it on this website for $89.00, including tax and shipping!  I made this on a work night, and I can assure you that this was ready to eat in 45 minutes. Let me show you:

You need portobello's (they are a very "meaty" kind of mushroom), beef stock, bacon, garlic, chopped onion, chopped carrots and dried thyme.  Red wine is a plus, which I always have on hand! Sour cream and chives are optional, as a garnish.

Ever since I posted how I store my bacon in the freezer, and how easy it is to slice frozen bacon (lardons) for recipes, my husband has been a very happy camper. He loves bacon in anything! So, I began by browning some bacon to render the fat-- I figured this would give the veggies a little extra flavor and removed the bacon with a slotted spoon and set that aside. (Yes, this cancels out the vegetarian aspect of the recipe. Just leave it out if you don't eat meat, and use vegetable stock instead of beef stock.)

I can finally appreciate what makes All-Clad pans so special. The pan does distribute heat quickly and evenly!  Slice the mushrooms at a little on the thick side, like about 1/4". I cooked this in a little olive oil and a pat of unsalted butter-- until browned and set mushroom onto a plate (or bowl).

Meanwhile, saute the carrots and onions with thyme, salt and pepper, until the onions are golden (finely minced in a food processor)  in the bacon fat in a Dutch Oven. . Add in the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add about 1/2 cup of red wine, and then  3/4 cup of beef stock to the pan, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom. Turn the heat up and let the mixture reduce for 2 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste, the rest of the broth and the browned mushrooms. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and let the whole thing simmer for 10 minutes.

 NOTE: The next time I make this, I will only use one pan. This time, I ended up pouring the mushrooms and sauce into the Dutch Oven, where I had the sauteed vegetables.

Add remaining butter to the pan and sprinkle flour over the top of the vegetables, quickly stirring in. Add the mushrooms, bacon and sauce to the vegetables and simmer for another 3–4 minutes. Taste, and season further with salt & pepper if needed.

 
Serve this with a bowl of warm, buttery egg noodles, spoon the mushroom bourguignon over the top, and garnish with a dollop of sour cream (I used lite, so it melts very quickly) and a sprinkling of chives or parsley.

Craig and I really loved this dish!  The sauce was rich from the tomato paste and the red wine was not overpowering at all. I think that the sour cream and chives was the perfect garnish.  This almost reminds me of Beef Stroganoff, which I enjoy serving on occasion.

As always, a printable recipe (with my adaptions) is at the bottom of this post. You can visit Muneeba at "An Edible Symphony" and compare how she made her version.  Thanks, Muneeba, for the inspiration!

I have, yet, to organize Tyler Florence's recipes that he demoed at the Harvest Festival. I still want to post the rest of my menu from our Oktoberfest menu, too! Hopefully, Craig won't pull the wires to the internet while he's organizing boxes in our attic (whoops!)

It's 75 degrees today-- so much for making soup, as I originally planned. I'd better come up with a Plan B!

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