This week we’re eating… chestnut mushroom and butter bean Bourguignon

I haven’t written a recipe post for ages so I thought it was about time I got back to my regular foodie posts. This chestnut mushroom and butter bean Bourguignon is my new favourite dish; warming and nourishing but also healthy too.

A vegan twist on the classic beef dish, it feels rich and stodgy but it’s actually filled with super-healthy mushrooms and protein/fibre/iron-packed beans.

I was inspired by a few recipes while making this dish but as always have made a few twists and turns of my own while experimenting in the kitchen. Thanks to The Veg Space; Jamie Oliver; and Sainsbury’s.

The butter beans are completely my addition. You wouldn’t find them in a classic Bourguignon… but I always try to add beans and pulses to dishes where I can for their nutritional properties.

To make the dish vegan don’t forget to check the wine and the stock.

You can use gluten-free plain flour but be careful with speciality flours… I had a disaster on one occasion while experimenting with this dish when I made this with rice flour because it didn’t absorb into the liquid in the same way and ended up a gloopy mess.

Here’s how to make it.

Ingredients (serves 4; takes around 45 minutes to make)

4 tbsp olive oil

600g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

250g button mushrooms

1 large onion, chopped

5 shallots, peeled but kept whole if small enough or halved if slightly bigger

250g Chantenay carrots, washed but not peeled; larger carrots halved lengthways

3 cloves garlic, crushed

3 tbsp plain flour

400ml red wine

400ml vegetable stock

3 tbsp tomato purée

1 400g can of butter beans, drained and rinsed

30g fresh parsley chopped

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and lightly fry the onions, shallots and the garlic for around 4-5 minutes.
2. Add the carrots and continue to fry for 4-5 minutes until the carrots are starting to soften.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
4. Stir the flour through the mushrooms and onions and then add the red wine. Bring to the boil for one minute.
5. Add the stock and the tomato puree. Simmer for 5 minutes or so stirring regularly until the sauce has become a thickened and glossy liquid. Keep an eye on the mushrooms and carrots so that they don’t get too soft.
6. Add the butterbeans and cook for another 5 minutes.
7. Season with salt pepper and 20g of the parsley.
8. You can serve straight from the pan but the flavours are so much deeper if you put the mixture in a casserole dish and place in an oven pre-heated to 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
9. Sprinkle on the remaining parsley to serve.
10. It’s great on its own or accompanied by mash.

Let me know if you give it a go in the comments below; on the Cardiff Mummy Says Facebook page or you can tweet me on @cardiffmummy

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