Wine With…Mushroom Stroganoff

Wine With…Mushroom Stroganoff

Here we are mid-way between the feasts of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Now that the turkey extravaganza (including, of course, many days of noshing on leftovers) is over, we look forward to the delights of Yuletide roast beef and/or ham dinners, not to mention the hedonistic spread on New Year’s Eve. At this stage in the season of holiday overindulgence we yearn for something simple. Please–no meat, no poultry, not even seafood! What we hunger for is a meal with a vegetable in the starring role. But no humdrum repast will suit us–we still want a dinner with a festive feel to it, something rich and celebratory, and something that will lend itself beautifully to good wine. After all, it is still the holiday season.

To fulfill this longing for an elegant meat-free supper, we came up with Mushroom Stroganoff. Inspired by Beef Stroganoff, a globally popular dish based on a Russian classic, this version substitutes mushrooms for beef, but includes the all-important sour cream. Part of its simplicity lies in the fact that this is a one-dish meal (add a simple green salad and a loaf of good bread if you wish). Dedicated carnivores will be especially content if meaty mushrooms such as Portobellos are featured, but any type of mushroom–or a mix of different varieties–will be just fine.

Mushroom Stroganoff

Serves 2

1 onion
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
12-18 ounces Portobello or other mushrooms
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup sour cream
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
salt
rice or wide pasta such as pappardella, tagliatelle, or egg noodles

Dice the onion and sauté it in two tablespoons of the olive oil. Cut the mushrooms into thin bite-size pieces. When the onions are soft, stir in the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they soften and exude some of their juices (add more oil if necessary). Whisk the flour into the wine and pour it into the mushrooms. Simmer for about 10 minutes; then stir in the sour cream and seasonings and continue simmering for another 10 minutes while you cook the rice or pasta. To serve, spoon the mushrooms over the rice or pasta.

We were unsure what types of wine would pair best with this dish. It’s rich and creamy, so we though an opulent white might work. At the same time, though, it’s quite earthy, so perhaps just the right sort of match for a hearty red. Well, of the twelve wines we tried, the reds in general outperformed the whites. There were, however, some surprises. Heavy, tannic reds seemed too powerful, light ones too simple, and at least one fairly delicate white proved a great partner. In general, notable acidity seemed necessary so as to counterbalance the dish’s richness, while a supple texture, echoing the creaminess of the stroganoff, was a definitive plus.