Beef Bourguignon, sounds super fancy….and I guess it kind of is, but really it’s pretty much just a thick and flavorful beef stew, and in the case it’s VEGAN.
Beef bourguignon originated in France and is really just a hearty beef stew where the beef is braised in red wine.
Yes, it has wine in it. So if you do not partake, then this is not really the recipe for you. I mean it originated in a region known for the cattle and wine. So if you leave out the wine you just a have a thick vegan beef stew which is fine, I do have a tasty vegan beef stew recipe you can try. But the wine is really what makes this recipe soooo delicious.
So, how does a vegan make a vegan beef bourguignon you might ask? Well for starters we need to make a convincing vegan beef. Making seitan is really a lot easier than one may think. This recipe for vegan beef tips is REALLY EASY, but it needs to rest. If you know me and are familiar with this blog, you have probably heard me shouting to let the seitan REST!!! And I’m not kidding. Let it rest y’all. Please!!!
Now don’t freak out about how long it takes between making the seitan and eating it. Just know if you want to make this for dinner, you need to get those beef tips cooking bright and early, or even better, the day before you acutely need them. Good things come to those who let the dang seitan rest! And these vegan beef tips are pretty dang good and worth the rest time. I made mine in the morning and had the stew for dinner.
Once the seitan is good to go, you can begin the stew. I like to let mine slowly cook in the oven. You just get it going on the stove top, pop it in the oven, and go about your day. That way that vegan beef soaks up all the lovey flavors from the stew, the wine and liquid reduces, and it thickens up to a velvety perfection. Seriously, if you are home for the weekend cleaning, relaxing, or putzing around, that is the perfect time to make this recipe.
No, this recipe is NOT QUICK. Again I repeat, good things come to those who wait. This is a Sunday dinner kind of recipe, a holiday kind recipe, a “you need a nice meal for entertaining or convincing your inlaws not all vegan food is lettuce” kind of recipe. And in my opinion it is worth the time spent on it.
Three of my four kids ate it and went for seconds. We can’t count the 4th, she is only 4 and pretty much in that beige diet phase where getting her to eat a full meal or anything of color or interest is a daily struggle. I am thankful she still likes a ton of raw veggies and berries, but don’t you dare suggest she eat a cooked vegetable at this juncture..sigh….toddler parents probably know my struggle here. Don’t worry, I now have teenagers too, and they will grown up and eat lots and lots of things.
Serving this meal with a nice glass of red wine, a side salad, and some crusty bread to soak up all of the delicious wine laced, gravy like goodness is a must. It is one of those dinners you eat slowly, you savor, and enjoy every last bite. So you might need two glasses of wine. Or maybe thats just me.
Also, we serve our vegan beef bourguignon over the creamiest vegan mashed potatoes. I think this is one of my favorite parts of this meal. In my regular vegan beef stew I add potatoes to the stew. In this recipe we are ladling the stew over mashed potatoes, which I prefer. Carbs, wine, warm comfort food. I’m allllll in!
INGREDIENTS:
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced carrots
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoon tomato paste
2-3 cups sliced button mushrooms
2-3 teaspoons No Beef Better Than Bouillon, or a bouillon powder **
1 1/2 cups water **
(**you can also reserve 1 1/2 cups of boiling liquid from the beef tips and use that instead of the water and bouillon listed here)
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
VEGAN BEEF TIPS:
super firm tofu, vacuum sealed
1 (16 oz) block of super firm tofu, the kind that is vacuum sealed, not in a tray of water
1 cup vital wheat gluten
1 tablespoons No Beef Better Than Bouillon (or a vegan beef bouillon powder)
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons tapioca or corn starch
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut amnios
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons neutral flavored oil
2 tablespoons water (if needed)
**If you can not find the super firm, vacuum sealed tofu, you can use extra firm tofu, but you will need to press it for at least half an hour. You will likely not need to add any water to the recipe and the texture will still be nice, but I still prefer the super firm tofu (sometimes called high protein tofu.)
BOILING LIQUID:
6 cups water
2 teaspoons No Beef Better Bouillon
2 splashes soy sauce
MASHED POTATOES:
4-5 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons vegan butter
2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese or plain vegan yogurt
salt and pepper to taste
a few splashes of plant based milk
INSTURCTIONS:
For the beef tips: Break up the tofu and place it into a food processor with the regular metal blade. Run the processor for around a minute until the tofu is broken down.
* If you do not have a food processor, you can try and break down the tofu in a blender. You want it the consistency of a thick ricotta, almost. You can try adding the liquid ingredients in with the tofu to help break it down. Once you break it down you can mix the rest by hand, making sure to knead the dough well, for about 5 minutes if doing it by hand.
Add all of the remaining ingredients and let the food processor run for a couple of minutes. You want the mixture to form a dough. Letting the processor run will help knead the dough. We want this seitan to be firm so we need it to knead for a bit. If you dough seems a bit too dry, you can add a few tablespoons of water, just don’t add too much more!
Once you have a smooth but firm dough, remove it from the food processor and place on a clean counter. Knead the dough with your hands for about a minute, forming a kind of oval shaped loaf with the dough. Cut the dough into 4 pieces and shape them into ovals. (see pictures above)
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot, or dutch oven. Add the bouillon, and soy to the pot. Add the seitan pieces and reduce the heat to medium low. Allow the seitan to simmer for 30 minutes then flip the pieces. Let simmer another 30 minutes. Remove from the liquid and place in a shallow dish or on a plate. Lightly cover and allow to rest in the fridge for 4-8 hours. This helps firm up the seitan yielding a more meaty and less spongy texture. I often prepare the seitan the day before I intend to use it!
Cut 3 of the 4 pieces of seitan into roughly 1 inch cubes. You can save the 4th piece for something else like sliced thin for sandwiches, or freeze it for later. It makes a nice stir fry beef as well.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, moving the oven racks so you have enough room to fit a the dutch oven or oven safe pot.
In a large dutch oven or oven safe pot, heat a few teaspoons of oil or vegan butter. Add the sliced onions, garlic, and carrots and liquid smoke to the pot. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add the flour and cook for about a minute.
Whisk the bouillon into the water or use the reserved beef tip boiling liquid. Slowly add the broth and wine to the pot whisking the flour into the liquid. Add the tomato paste, dried thyme, pepper, and vegan beef tips. Bring the liquid to a boil, then carefully transfer the pot to the oven with the lid on.
Allow the vegan beef bourguignon to cook in the oven for 2 hours. After 2 hours add the sliced mushrooms and cocoa powder to the pot and allow to simmer another 30 minutes.
Peel and dice potatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes, and boil until they are tender and can easily be pierced with a fork. Drain the water and return the potatoes to the pot. Mash potatoes and remaining ingredients with a hand masher or electric hand mixer until creamy.
Sever vegan beef bourguignon over mashed potatoes. Garnish with fresh thyme or parsley if you like.
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