Lentils and Mushrooms in Burgundy

As I write this, winter storms are raging across the country, bringing a variety of generally uncomfortable weather conditions to all. Here, it’s a cold and rainy weekend in the desert southwest, with snow in the upper elevations. Summer here is downright hot. One can count on this. The winters are not nearly so predictable these days. I’m bundled up in a heavy sweater and fuzzy socks, much as I might have been on a winter’s day on the farm. Cue the comfort food again… On days like today, Mom cooked meaty rib-sticking stews and braises, to warm one from the inside out. One of her favorites was a long slow braise of beef in red wine, aka beef bourguignon. 

Tough meat has been braised in red wine since the middle ages; the acid in the wine in combination with long slow heat breaks down the tough connective fibers to produce a tender stew. Alcohol? Again? I, along with everyone who reads this blog, laughs at my propensity for using alcohol in my cooking. In fact, I learned to do this at my mother’s knee.

But there is method behind the madness, because alcohol is a flavor enhancer, much like salt or pepper. When one tastes a dish, the tongue can taste water soluble flavors. But one gets more complete flavor when the molecules are sensed in the nose as well. These aromas are carried by fat soluble molecules. Alcohol can bond with both types of molecules, broadening and expanding flavor considerably. The particular wine used in today’s stew recipe is Burgundy. Burgundies are French wine blends based on the pinot noir grape. I am not picky about the wine here; it does not need to be high end pinot noir. An inexpensive wine will produce a delicious stew with deep flavor. 

But… I’m not eating much beef these days, for both health and environmental reasons. So I’m looking for red wine to bridge my flavors using plant based ingredients. I’ve cooked lentils in red wine for many years, another of those recipes that came from somewhere now unknown. Served over mashed potatoes, it offers the rich burgundy fueled flavor without the meat. The lentils provide the protein, but I knew something was missing. When I recently glanced at Mom’s recipe, I realized what it needed was vegetables! Duh. Shallots, carrots and mushrooms “beefed” the recipe up significantly. (Pun intended, sadly.) I also tossed in some soaked dried mushrooms, to maximize the umami character and meaty texture. This stew, ladled atop my homemade mashed potatoes, is about as delicious as a plant based stew can be.  

Plant based diets continue to punch above their weight in the media, particularly as January is the home of “Veganuary.” I don’t pay much attention to such trends, as plant based dishes are on regular rotation in my kitchen year round. But whatever your dietary trends might be, this dish is a plant based winner.