straight up veg

I first decided I wanted to make a vegetarian version of boeuf bourguignon after watching the 2009 film, Julie and Julia. Dorky, I know, but they did a really good job at making it sound crazy delicious, so I had to. This classic dish is from the Burgundy region of France, which makes it sound fancy, but it actually used to be a peasant stew. My favourite part of this dish, obviously, is that It contains a ton of burgundy (bourguignon) red wine. I took a lot of inspiration from Julia Child’s recipe, but tweaked it to make up for the absence of meat.

Recipe makes approx. 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Package (approx. 350g) Extra Firm Tofu, cubed
• 1 Package of Soy Beef Protein (I used Gardein Beefless Tips)
• 15 pearl onions, peeled
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 10 cremini mushrooms, halved
• 10 shiitake mushrooms, halved
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 bouquet garni (3 sprigs of thyme, 5 sprigs of parsley, 2 bay leaves – tied together with string)
• 2.5 cups red wine (Burgundy is best, but pinot noir is a good substitute)
• 2.5 cups vegetable broth (I use my mushroom-vegetable broth)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Black pepper to taste

1. In a pan, lightly saute the cubes of tofu in olive oil on medium-high heat until golden brown. Remove once golden.
2. In a pot or dutch oven, saute the golden tofu, soy protein, onions, carrots, and mushrooms in 2 tbsp butter on medium-high heat, until lightly browned (approx. 10 minutes)
3. Add the garlic and saute for another 5 minutes.
4. Add the vegetable stock, wine, tomato paste, bouquet of herbs, 1/2 tsp salt and 2 pinches of back pepper. (The vegetables/ protein should be covered with stock/wine)
5. Simmer on medium heat for approx. 1.5 hours.
6. In a small bowl, melt 1 tbsp butter and add flour to make a thin paste. Slowly stir into the stew.
7. Continue to simmer until it is at your desired thickness.
8. Serve on top of egg noodles, mashed potatoes or toasted French baguette slices and enjoy 🙂