Crafts and Life

15 mL olive oil
12 button onions or shallots, peeled
500 g Portobellini mushrooms, thickly sliced
250 g chestnut mushrooms, halved
250 g large white button mushrooms, halved
15 g butter
1 onion, very finely chopped
1 carrot, very finely chopped
1 celery stick, very finely chopped
2 sprigs of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
1 bay leaf
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon plain flour
250 mL red wine
250 mL mushrooms stock
1 tablespoon tomato purée
sea salt and black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the button onions or shallots. Frying them over a high heat until browned on all sides, then put them on a plate. Add all the mushrooms to the pan and cook them very briskly until they are lightly browned but are not releasing any liquid. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.

Heat the butter in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole dish. Add the finely chopped onion, carrot and celery, together with the Thyme, Rosemary and Bay Leaf. Cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes until the vegetables are softened, then remove the lid and continue to cook until everything is lightly caramelised. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute, then season well with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir, then pour in all the wine. Stir to combine, making sure nothing catches on the bottom, then leave to simmer until the wine is reduced by half. Add the stock and tomato purée and stir until the tomato purée has dissolved into the sauce. Add the cooked mushrooms and shallots or onions, then bring the mixture back to the boil.

Turn the heat down and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the show lots of or onions are tender and the sauce is reduced down. Serve with pasta or Dauphinoise and some green vegetables.

Serves 4 to 6 – taken from The Hairy Dieters Go Veggie