Bean Bourguignon: The French are really on to something!

It's been a long weekend here in Ontario with the recently established "Family Day" (2007- thank you former Ontario Liberal premier Dalton McGuinty- yes, you kind of left a mess for the new Liberal Ontario government, but you gave us an extra holiday so we will overlook some of your scandals...for now.) For those of you not familiar with "Family Day, it's basically an excuse for a much needed long weekend smack dab in the middle (or optimistically near the end???) of an extremely long, cold, depressing, overly-snowy Canadian winter. Spring is long overdue at this point.  I will seriously be over joyed when I see the first dandelion in my neighbour's lawn that they will predictably ignore and not dig up, and will continue to multiply and invade my lovely green, well-tended lawn.  But that's ok as it will be warm and sun-shiny.  Live and let live I say. For now. Until the dandelions take over. Then no holds barred.

Back to reality. A long weekend in February is the perfect time to do some extra cooking and wrestle up a rich, warm, decadent meal. I found this particular recipe in the recent Runner's World magazine- it reminded me a lot of a Coq au Vin meal that I had done last winter. Very similar structure, using the familiar French staples of onions, broth, red wine, and flour to create a luxurious, velvety meal perfect for a cold evening.  No need for meat with the addition of mushrooms and beans. They alone make the meal filling, nutritious and low cal. A little bit of prosciutto (or chorizo in my case-that's all I had in the fridge) can go a long way, providing a hint of saltiness and meat texture if desired. Certainly pancetta or bacon can be substituted if on hand. Be sure to have some crusty bread readily available to soak up the broth (I think we filled up on broth-soaked bread before even tasting the main ingredients.) I used the duck broth made from the leftover bones of our Boxing Day Cassoulet meal as the base in place of vegetable or chicken broth- a perfect match for hearty portabello (or baby portabello) mushrooms.

We paired it with a smokey, and oh-so-smooth Zinfandel from California called "Predator". Can I say "Holy Crap! What an amazing bottle of wine!" Wish we could afford it everyday, but alas, we are cheap and poor drunkards. So depressing. I'm pretty sure the bottle of wine cost two to three times as much as the meal itself...which I guess is the way it usually is when eating out in a restaurant isn't it?! Bon appetit from Bistro 164! A classy place for sure. Except for the kitchen staff...best not make eye contact.

Bean Bourguignon

Adapted from a recipe in "Runner's World" magazine March 2014

Serves 6

3 tbsps olive oil
1 package (12 ounces) baby portabella or portabella mushrooms, quartered or cut into sixths
salt and pepper to taste
1 shallot and 1 leek, chopped (or use 1 onion)
6 oz thinly slices prosciutto, minced ( I used chorizo but bacon or pancetta would also be lovely)
3 large cloves garlic
1 tsp dried thyme ( or 1/2 tsp ground thyme)
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup dry red wine (not the "Predator" though, use something cheap like your back-up bottle of wine)
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth (I use duck broth which made it extra rich in flavour I think)
2 cans of 19 oz white beans, drained and rinsed


Heat 2 tbsps of olive oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook for about 6-8 minutes or until mushrooms start to brown. Add ground salt and pepper. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and set aside. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to pot and add shallot/leek, stirring frequently.  Add prosciutto (chorizo,bacon), garlic, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add the flour and and stir. Add red wine, the stock,  and the beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and heat through for 5-10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Garnish with parsley before serving if desired.

Cheers!