creamy red wine braised mushrooms and dumplings
I don’t know why, but this winter I’ve craved dumplings more frequently than I’ve ever craved dumplings in my entire life.
I may have shared this story prior, but my first foray with dumplings – the One Pot Creamy Potato Vegetable and Sage Dumpling Soup – was inspired by a passing comment made by a coworker about her homesickness and cooking up a batch of dumpling soup to quell the emotions. That particular day, the undertaking sounded like a pretty fab idea, so the above recipe was born.
If I’m not mistaken, chicken and dumplings, the typical iteration, is a very southern thing, and although I grew up in Florida mom never cooked anything of the sort. That’s the thing with Florida: the more north you go, the more south you get. Central and south Florida are basically retired transplants from up north or young rich yippy-dippies basking in Miami’s so-called glory complaining when it hits 60 degrees. And then there’s people like me who are sort of forced to live here out of circumstance. Like a chained up dog.
Anyway.
Whether southern or not, these Creamy Red Wine Braised Mushrooms and Dumplings are sure to warm a perturbed soul, enliven your kitchen’s ambience, and comfort a frolicking heart. I cooked these up after a rather demoralizing long run in which I traipsed uncomfortably through whipping 20+ mph cold winds. They seeped right into my soul and bloomed warmth in me from the inside out. I’ll tell you what, I really did feel better emotionally afterwards.
Savory shiitake mushrooms, a rich beefy broth, and soft dumplings. A recipe for cozy.
A Shortcut to Mushrooms
The basis of this dish is a thick sauce comprised of various aromatics and herbs, red wine, broth, and coconut milk. Most of the time you’ll spend making this dish is chopping, so start out with a dice game of onions and carrots, chop some rosemary and oregano, mince some garlic, and slice up the shiitake mushrooms.
Saute the onion and carrots for a few minutes, then toss in the mushrooms. Cook, stirring maybe once or twice, on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add butter, garlic, oregano, and rosemary, and heat until the butter browns slightly.
Swirl in tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, then whisk in flour until no visible clumps remain. Pour in the red wine and simmer down completely. I like to take my spoon or spatula and scrape up the yummy, crispy bits from the bottom of the pan.
Down in the Dumplings
Once the wine has calmed its spitting, pour in some vegetarian or regular beef broth and coconut milk.
While you wait for the broth to simmer, quickly mix up your dumpling batter. All you need to do is mix together flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Make a well and pour in buttermilk, then stir it up until combined. The dough is expected to be wet.
Using a small ice cream scoop, a tablespoon measure, or a quarter cup measure, drop in 2 tablespoon-sizes balls of dumpling batter into the simmering liquid. If using an ice cream scoop or a quarter cup measure, be scant with the amount of batter you grab. The dumplings get HUGE. Cover the pot and cook 8-10 minutes (no peeking!) until the dumplings are HUGE and firm on the inside.
Finish the stew by stirring in some frozen or fresh peas, for greenery. Heat a couple minutes longer until warmed through.
This recipe is pretty easy to veganize, if you’re so inclined. Swap out regular butter and Worcestershire for vegan versions, the latter for soy sauce if you can’t or don’t want to purchase a different component.
To make a simple vegan buttermilk, use 1 1/2 cups of whatever milk you typically keep around and mix in 1/2 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice. Let the liquid sit until it begins to curdle.
You can definitely use baby portobello mushrooms if they’re easier to obtain than shiitakes.
I assure you, if you cook this up on a chilly and meh day, your day will improve. Your whole week, really.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
More cozy foods with mushrooms:
Ginger Pomegranate Tofu Ramen with Garlic Butter Mushrooms
No Stir Butternut Squash Orzo “Risotto” with Crispy Roasted Mushrooms
Rosemary Mushroom Pasta Carbonara
Cheesy French Onion and Mushroom Pasta Bake
creamy red wine braised mushrooms and dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 carrots, diced
- 10 oz shiitake mushrooms, roughly torn
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 cup peas, fresh or frozen
- 2 cups vegetarian beef broth, or regular
- 1 cup canned full fat coconut milk
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 tbsp baking powder
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium. Saute the onion and carrot until softened and fragrant, about 5-8 minutes. Toss in the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring only once or twice, for 5 minutes. Add the butter, oregano, and rosemary, cook 2-3 minutes until the butter browns slightly. Swirl in the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, then whisk in the 3 tablespoons of flour until no clumps are visible.
- Pour in the red wine and cook until absorbed, about 2-3 minutes ,scraping the bottom of the skillet to release any browned bits. Pour in the broth and coconut milk and bring to a simmer.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the 2 cups of flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Make a well in the center of the ingredients and stream in the buttermilk. Stir until combined. The dough will be fairly wet.
- Using a small ice cream scoop or a spoon, drop in about 2 tablespoon sized clumps of the dumpling batter into the skillet. Cover and cook 8-10 minutes until the dumplings have poofed up (yes, professional terminology) and are firm on the inside. Stir in peas, warming for an additional minute or two.
