Recipe by: Todd Al
In the dead of winter, sometimes what you really need is a dish that’s warm, filling, and well...French. Vegan black bean bourguignon is a great way to add that rich slow-roasted taste to your plant-based palate, with the richness of a reduced wine stock, plant-based protein, good fats, and fiber. The alcohol will evaporate while cooking, but there’ll be just enough wine left in the bottle to share a glass with someone you love.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 2 sticks of celery, diced
- 4-5 large carrots, cut in even chunks, coins, or cubes
- 1 package (10oz) mushrooms, cut into quarters
- 3 cloves of garlic, diced
- 2 Tbsp (a bit less than 1/2 a can) of tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried Thyme
- 400ml of red wine (a bit over 1/2 a bottle)
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 1 can (19oz) black beans
- 2 Tbsp flour (or substitute with gluten-free flour, or other starch powder)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley to decorate
Preparation
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To prepare, wash the beans in a colander. Peel and dice the onion and garlic. Dice the celery by first cutting it into long thin strips. Quarter the mushrooms. Lastly, have some fun with the carrots with a large chunky shape of your choice—some of the best are thick angled coins or “V” shapes, but my personal favorite is cubes, which is actually where the term “diced” originally came from. Set aside until you begin to cook them.
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Heat a large pot on medium-low, and add the oil. Toss in the onion, celery, and a pinch of salt, and then slowly cook for 8 to 10 minutes until they turn translucent.
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Turn the heat up slightly to medium, and stir in the mushrooms for another 5 minutes. Then add the garlic, dried thyme, and tomato paste, and cook for 1 more minute. You may notice the tomato paste darkening in color, which actually helps to bring out that rich roasted flavor.
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At this point, stir the red wine and about ½ of the broth. Add the carrots, bay leaf, and a bit of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then turn it down to low and let it simmer covered for 20 minutes to develop flavor and the carrots to soften.
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Add the black beans, remove the lid, and let cook uncovered for 15 minutes to allow the broth to reduce.
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Finally, in a small bowl, whisk the remaining broth into the flour with a fork until smooth. Then stir this broth slurry into the pot, and cook for 1 more minute. Remove the bay leaf. Serve the bourguignon in a bowl, and decorate with fresh parsley.
