Quiet Friday

That's what today was. And so the quiet Friday concluded with a quiet dinner, a mushroom bourguignon, complete with portobellos, red wine, and some french batard with gouda. Inspiration? This month's Vogue. I was reading it while N got his hair cut at Terra, the new favorite salon in San Diego. This month's Vogue was strange. Have you read it yet? It's Indie. Weird. I felt like it was geared towards an audience much younger than its usual target: the 20s. There's always some stuff for the 20-year-olds, but this month felt like it was all about the 20-year-olds. Spreads of the Horrors in Givenchy , MGMT, and a small picture of Beirut. There was also a feature on Rachel McAdams, which was strange because, she was news years back. But she's back, and apparently she likes to cook and spend time by herself. The whole thing was very, Indie.

So I got a craving for some good cooking. Last night was Tomato Soup, but it was a mash-up of stuff that I'm familiar with. I could've really challenged myself with Beef Bourguignon, but who am I kidding. That I can tackle on another night, now that I've done it with portobello mushrooms. This dish is delicious, though I can imagine it being taken to another level with the substitution of Beef over mushroom. And RC, I know what N got you for Christmas. I better be seeing some pictures of Beef Bourguignon real soon!

So here are some pictures, and I can share the recipe with you too, since I have it right in front of me.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 pounds portobello mushrooms, in 1/4-inch slices
1/2 carrot, finely diced
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced (though I always use triple the amount of garlic that a recipe calls for)
1 cup full-bodied red wine
2 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup pearl onions, peeled (still whole)
Egg noodles, for serving
Sour cream and chopped chives or parsley, for garnish

Heat the one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a medium Dutch oven or heavy sauce pan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken, but not yet release any liquid — about three or four minutes. Remove them from pan.

Lower the flame to medium and add the second tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the carrots, onions, thyme, a few good pinches of salt and a several grinds of black pepper into the pan and cook for 10, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for just one more minute.

Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce it by half. Stir in the tomato paste and the broth. Add back the mushrooms with any juices that have collected and once the liquid has boiled, reduce the temperature so it simmers for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are very tender. Add the pearl onions and simmer for five minutes more.

Combine remaining butter and the flour with a fork until combined; stir it into the stew. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency. Season to taste.

To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles, dollop with sour cream (optional) and sprinkle with chives or parsley.

Oh, have you met my friend? She's wonderful. A real beaut.