Veg au Vin

One of my favorite winter meals is coq au vin (chicken cooked with wine). The slow cooking makes the flavors meld together in the most magical way. I wanted to create a recipe that was similar but vegetarian/vegan friendly. Success! This turned out so well and is now definitely one of my favorite vegetarian meals. It has the same magical flavor combination. Serve over mashed potatoes for the coziest winter meal. For wine lovers, a glass of red wine to compliment the meal is a must.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter (vegan butter for vegan friendly)

16 oz button mushrooms, sliced

1 pound baby carrots or chopped carrots

1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 leeks, trimmed, rinsed, and diced

2 tablespoons flour (gf flour for gf friendly)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

¼ cup Brandy

½ bottle red wine

1 cup vegetable broth

1 bay leaf

6-8 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more to garnish

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of the butter. Once melted add the mushrooms and cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the carrots, onion, garlic, and leeks. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Mix in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, flour, and tomato paste and stir until the vegetables are well coated. Add in the brandy and stir, scraping any bits on the bottom of the pan. Add in the red wine, vegetable broth, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs. Cover and cook for 1.5 hours. 

During the last half hour, make the mashed potatoes

Ingredients for potatoes

2 pounds small yellow potatoes

4 tablespoons butter (vegan butter for vegan friendly)

½ cup milk (almond milk for vegan friendly)

1 clove garlic, minced

salt and pepper

Directions for potatoes

In a large pot of water, add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook 20 minutes until they are tender. Test with a fork to make sure they are done. Drain the potatoes into a colander. Add the potatoes back to the pot and mash with a potato masher.

Stir in the butter, milk, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

When the veg au vin is done, discard the bay leaf and sprigs of thyme. Serve in shallow bowls over the mashed potatoes. Garnish with a sprig of thyme.

Serves about 4