Vegetables au Vin

I spend a lot of my time on my lengthy train commute watching food programmes – for me the perfect way to unwind at the end of a busy working day! Often I get inspiration from these programmes, and on watching Simon Hopkinson the other day I felt compelled to make a vegetarian version of ‘coq au vin’.

I really wasn’t sure it would work, attempting to turn a classic French classic dish into a vegetarian alternative (sacrilege I know, particularly when removing the main ingredient!), but the result was rather pleasing – a warming, comforting vegetarian supper with a deep flavour imparted from the wine.

I chose to cook butternut squash although not my favourite vegetable, and used it with borlotti beans and mushrooms. The butternut was surprisingly delicious (it really takes a good recipe for me to say that!) but did become very soft in the long slow cooking. The borlotti beans and mushrooms on the other hand stood up well. We served it with the classic accompaniments of mashed potato and fried bread triangles dipped in parsley and it was definitely the epitome of a comforting winter meal.

Vegetables Au Vin (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)

serves at least 4

• 1/2 bottle red wine
• 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
• 1/2 carrot, roughly chopped
• 1/2 stick of celery, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp red currant jelly
• 4 large/8 small shallots
• 1 pack of button mushrooms
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped
• 1 tin borlotti beans
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsps herbes de provence
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp cornflour

– Pour the wine into a saucepan
– Add the onion, carrot, celery, thyme, garlic and redcurrant jelly.
– Bring to a simmer and reduce by a half. Strain out the veg and set aside.
– Brown the shallots in 1tbsp olive oil, then add the mushrooms and squash, cook until the veg has taken on a little colour.
– Add 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped) and cook until fragrant
– Stir in the cornflour.
– Pour over the reduced wine and stock ( if you like chop up the marinade vegetables and add them too)
– Add the borlotti beans and herbs.
– Cover the pot and either place on a low simmer, or even better place in a low to medium oven for approx 1 hour
– Taste and adjust the seasoning. Scatter with a good handful of chopped parsley.
– Serve with the classic accompaniments of fried bread triangles (gluten-free fine of course) dipped in chopped parsley and mashed potato.