Beet Bourguignon

Photo: Beet Bourguignon
Cooked with seitan and earthy beets, this classic French peasant stew (made famous by Julia Child) has a rich, robust and comforting flavor. A bit time-consuming but is an excellent make-ahead meal.
Yield
8-10 Servings
Vegan
Entrees
Holiday
Ingredients

Marinade

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 2-3 sprigs thyme
  • 1-2 sprigs rosemary or parsley
  • 1 sprig sage
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cup grape juice
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari
  • 1-2 Tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 (8-ounce) seitan packages, cut into bite-sized chunks

Stew

  • 3 Tablespoons safflower oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2-3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2-3 carrots, sliced
  • 1 pound beets, peeled and diced
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 cups quartered mushrooms
  • 3 Tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tablespoons softened butter or vegan butter

Crispy Mushrooms

  • 1 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt, to taste

Garnish

  • Fresh thyme leaves, rosemary leaves, and/or parsley, to garnish
Instructions
  1. To prepare Marinade: Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add in garlic and sauté for 5-6 minutes or until browned. Strain oil into a clean container and set garlic aside.
  2. Tie together the fresh thyme, rosemary, sage and bay leaves using kitchen twine or wrapping together in a small piece of cheesecloth to make a bouquet garni.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the garlic oil, juice, broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add in the bouquet garni and seitan. Cover and let marinade for 1 hour.
  4. Strain Marinade out into a large bowl. Set seitan aside and return bouquet garni to marinade. Spoon out a ¼ cup of the marinade and set aside.
  5. Preheat oven to 375°.
  6. To prepare Stew: In a large stock pot, heat safflower oil over medium heat. Stir in onions and saute for 5-6 minutes or until softened.
  7. Stir in celery, carrots, beets, and tomato paste. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the bowl of Marinade into the Stew.
  8. Bring mixture to a boil then lower heat to medium-low. Let simmer for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  9. While the Stew simmers, combine seitan, quartered mushrooms, ¼ cup reserved marinade, and sautéed garlic in a large deep baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes.
  10. To prepare Crispy Mushrooms: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread out sliced mushrooms in a single layer. Drizzle olive oil generously over the mushrooms as well as season with salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes, shaking the sheet every 5-10 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to paper towels and blot dry. Set aside.
  11. After the seitan-mushroom mixture has cooked for 30 minutes, remove from oven and set aside.
  12. After the Stew has simmered for 40-45 minutes, turn heat off. Carefully strain sauce into a medium saucepan. Return stewed vegetables to stockpot. Discard the bouquet garni. Heat saucepan over medium heat.
  13. In a small bowl, mix together flour with butter to make a thick paste. Whisk paste into saucepan and continue to whisk constantly until sauce thickens - about 2-3 minutes.
  14. Add seitan-mushroom mixture to vegetables in stockpot. Pour thickened sauce over and mix to combine. Let simmer for another 5-10 minutes to meld flavors together. If sauce is too thick, add in about ¼ cup water or more if needed.
  15. Top with Crispy Mushrooms and garnish with fresh herbs. Serve and enjoy!