Mushroom and Artichoke Heart Bourguignon

By Brooke Bass of Chocolate + Marrow

Whenever the tail end of winter approaches, I always find myself seeking out bowls that maximize savory and bring a certain cozy factor to the house. One of my go-to recipes for this is a bourguignon, a red wine-based French stew capitalizing on hearty vegetables like mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and carrots.

This particular dish has lots of layered vegetables throughout. First with mushrooms that are cooked over high heat to bring out their most essential foresty flavor. Next there’s the addition of pearl onions, which once caramelized lend a savory sweet note. Finally, the addition of artichoke hearts, carrots, and celery, which bring a kind of dense brightness.

I’ve seasoned the dish with some traditional ingredients, such as red wine, broth, and lots of herbs, but I also deviate some through the use of soy sauce and smoked paprika, which both add a richer more robust depth of umami than you’d get without them.

Let everything braise in the liquid, bubbling on your stovetop for at least thirty minutes or until the carrots are just tender enough to pierce with a fork. The sauce will be silky and rich, perfect for eating as a soup or serving alongside something like toasted French bread, mashed potatoes, or pasta. It also freezes well for several months in an airtight container should you find yourself with extra!

Mushroom and Artichoke Heart Bourguignon

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

¼ cup, plus 2 tablespoons, of olive or refined coconut oil, plus more as needed
16-20 ounces of mixed mushrooms, such as trumpet, shiitake, chanterelle, or baby bella, chopped roughly into large chunks
¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 cup, about 6 ounces, of pearl onions, halved (can be fresh or frozen)
1 onion, chopped roughly
6 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1-1/2 cups of dry red wine
1 head of celery, chopped roughly
4 carrots, chopped roughly
1 cup, about 6 ounces, of pre-prepped artichoke hearts, quartered (can be refrigerated or frozen)
2 heaping tablespoons of flour
2 fresh, or 1 dried, bay leaves
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves, tough wooden stems removed
2 tablespoons of tomato paste, about 2 ounces
2 cups of vegetable broth
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of kosher salt or ½ tablespoon of regular or sea salt, plus more to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Toasted French bread, pasta, or mashed potatoes for serving (optional)

Instructions

Heat a glug of the olive oil in a large dutch oven over high heat. Once oil is hot and shimmery, add about one third of the mushrooms. Stir once to coat the mushrooms with oil, sprinkle with smoked paprika, and then let them rest, untouched, until the bottoms of the mushrooms have begun to turn a deep brown color, about 8 minutes.
Remove from dutch oven with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl. Set bowl aside. Add another glug of olive oil if your dutch oven has dried out and add the next round of mushrooms and so on until all of the mushrooms are browned.
Add pearl onions, and cook in the same fashion, letting cook in the hot oil until they begin to turn golden brown on the bottoms and then removing with a slotted spoon and adding to the bowl with the mushrooms.
Reduce heat to medium and add chopped onion as well as more olive oil if the bottom is starting to dry out, stir to coat, and let rest until you notice the edges of the onion beginning to brown, about 3-4 minutes.
Just before the onions are done, add the garlic to the pan, stir once, and cook until garlic is very fragrant, about 2-3 more minutes. Keep a close eye on the garlic and don’t let it burn.
Just as the garlic becomes fragrant, add the red wine and stir to loosen any bits that may be stuck to the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook over medium-high until wine has reduced to about half in volume, roughly 5-10 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and add the remaining solid ingredients – the celery, carrots, artichoke hearts, reserved mushrooms, and reserved pearl onions.
Sprinkle flour over the ingredients and toss well to coat.
Finally, add the tomato paste, vegetable broth, and soy sauce to the mix. Depending on how wide your dutch oven is, you may need to add more liquid. It’s important that the solid contents be covered at least just to cover with liquid, so if your liquid levels are too low, add just enough liquid (you can add red wine, broth, or a combination of the two) to cover the top of the solids.
Season well with salt and pepper, stir once more and then let sit covered over a low simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the carrots are just cooked through and fork tender. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. (I usually find if something isn’t quite tasting right, it’s because it needs more salt, so don’t be shy with the salt!)
Serve hot with toasted French bread, mashed potatoes, or a pasta of your choice.

NOTES

If using frozen pearl onions or artichoke hearts, go ahead and add them while still frozen. There’s no need to thaw.