vegan burgundy

Equipment:

Stove top smoker (if you have one)

Apple wood for smoker  (If you do not have a smoker,use 1 tsp of liquid smoke, hickory or applewood, not mesquite)

Slow cooker or braising pan

whisk

saucepan

french knife

cutting board

talk to the closest local Japanese restaurant chef, or waitstaff  to see if she/he will order fresh yuba for you , or, check out the closest asian market.  The dry sheets are just not the same for this recipe, you will need fresh yuba.  If you cannot get your hands on the fresh yuba, use frozen vegan mock beef or chicken tips

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of (non-sweet) red vegan wine (I use “Our daily Red”)

1/4 cup of vegan brandy (I use Korbel brandy)

2 cups water

2 TBL brewers yeast.. or 2 TBL nutritional yeast

2 TBL molasses

1 tsp of tomato paste

2 TBL soy sauce or tamari

1 TBL black pepper

2 small peeled carrots, sliced thin

4 oz. vegan butter (or purchased vegan margarine)

1/4 cup of your choice of starch or flour

1  cup minced shallots or 1 cup fresh pearl onions

3 cloves of minced garlic

1 cup cleaned, sliced shitake mushrooms (tops only, stem removed)

2 cups cleaned, sliced crimini mushrooms

2 bay leaves

to taste,  salt

olive oil to cover smoked mushrooms
(to make, yuba au vin...use lots of fresh thyme in the sauce)

Either, or,

2 pounds of fresh (frozen and thawed) yuba, sliced into big chunks

or....2 to 3 pounds of frozen mock beef or mock chicken (gardein beef tips comes to mind) heated and prepared as the package indicates ( refrigerate until plating the stew).  You can also use "beyond meat" strips and use exactly as yuba, they stew and braise very very well.

Method...

• Place around 1/4 cup of the crimini mushrooms into smoker, top with a drizzle of olive oil and smoke with applewood for around 2 minutes, then let sit with heat off for 3 minutes or so.  (this stew has a slight smokey flavor, but we do not want the smoke to overwhelm the sauce)
• Melt the margarine and add the shallots, garlic and mushrooms and saute until clear
• Add the wine and brandy and bring to rolling boil for around 1 minute
• Add the water, starch and the rest of the ingredients, EXCEPT, the yuba or mock beef (do not add these items to the sauce yet) using the whisk to incorporate the starch
• You will not need the slow cooker if you do not have fresh yuba or beyond meat.
• Bring the entire mixture to a boil and turn down to simmer for around 15 minutes or so.
• When you are sure that the sauce has thickened enough to be called a stew, and that it tastes great, transfer 3/4 of the sauce (save some for a final covering) to the slow cooker.  Add the yuba or beyond meat only (not the mock beef or chicken, the frozen seitans do not do well braised) and let slow cook for a few hours or more.  Yuba and beyond meat does fantastic braised in a “THICK” sauce, but not well in a thin, soupy sauce (beyond meat does great grilled, stewed, or in a soup).  Please make sure your sauce is thick and really feels like a heavy stew.
• Plate your dish (whether you are using yuba or the mock items) and top with sauce.