Mushroom & Bean Stroganoff

Crisp cold air, weak rays of sun on a walk along an empty beach, NFL play-offs, storms that have their own names, and Chris and Michaela in padded jackets outside a yurt on BBC’s Winter Watch – all the signs that we really are in the far depths of January.

It can only mean one thing in the ADK Kitchen – slow cooker season!

The electric slow cooker is a wonderful invention – chuck in a bunch of seasonal veg with some hearty stock, fresh herbs, a large glass of wine, and leave it to bubble away for a few hours in the corner of the kitchen, unassumedly radiating warmth and a delectable aroma that leaves everyone looking forward to dinner time.

Here’s a new addition to the ADK slow cooker recipe collection – a vegetarian hotpot rich in succulent mushrooms that take on the flavours of a creamy white wine and Dijon mustard sauce, with freshly torn thyme sprigs and the pleasing texture of soft cannellini beans. A true culinary comfort blanket!

No slow cooker? No problem – just use a casserole dish in a fan oven at 140C.

Servings

4 adult portions.

Timings

20 mins to prep – 3 hrs in the slow cooker.

You Will Need

• 30g dried porcini mushrooms
• 200ml boiling water
• a drizzle of oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 onion
• 3 celery sticks
• 1 red pepper
• 250g chestnut mushrooms
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 150ml veg stock
• 200ml dry white wine
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 bunch of fresh thyme
• 1 400g can of cannellini beans

Method

1. Switch on an electric slow cooker to the high setting.
2. Cover the porcini mushrooms in the boiling water and let them sit in a bowl for around 20 mins.
3. Crush the garlic and chop the onion into some hot oil in a wok. Then add in the chopped celery and pepper, and stir.
4. After a few moments, add in the chestnut mushrooms, halved. Give it all a good stir and let it simmer for a few minutes.
5. Turn the heat down and sprinkle over the flour. Turn the veg over with a spatula until all of it is coated in the flour, then pour in the stock and wine. Turn the heat up again and stir so that a thickish, creamy sauce begins to form around the veg.
6. Add in the Dijon mustard and cayenne pepper. Twist in some black pepper and sea salt. Tear in a good few sprigs of the fresh thyme. Tip in the porcini mushrooms and the water they’ve been soaking in.
7. Add the cannellini beans and mix through, then transfer to the bowl of the slow cooker. Turn down to the low setting and let it simmer for 3 hours, stirring every so often.
8. Spoon on to warmed plates, and tear over some more sprigs of the fresh thyme. Serve with boiled brown rice.

Customise It!

I’ve used two different kinds of mushrooms – porcini and chestnut – but you could add in a third, maybe swapping in some chunked portobello in place of some of the chestnuts. I was tempted to change the white wine to a full-bodied, warming red, and may do this the next time I make this, as I reckon it will pair well with the beefy-like stock water that comes from the soaked porcinis.

Dance classics season continues in the ADK Kitchen – hey, it helps keep us warm this time of year! Here’s a great opportunity to hone those moves – it’s Gloria Gaynor with Never Can Say Goodbye.