French Onion Stew with Mushrooms

Serves: 4 to 6

Time: 10 minutes prep, 1 hour 15 minutes to cook, not including time to cook beans or make Cashew Cream

Traditional French onion soup (soupe à l’oignon) employs a rich beef stock for depth; this plant-based version relies on two types of mushrooms and mushroom stock instead to provide meaty richness. We eliminate some of the hassle of caramelizing onions by letting the oven do the work. And we didn’t forget the best part: Cashew Cream is spread thick on sourdough toast, broiled, then floated on each bowl.
 

Ingredients

3 large yellow onions, sliced
One 10-ounce (283 g) package cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
4 cups (960 ml) mushroom stock
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped from stems and chopped fine
¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
¼ cup (60 ml) red wine, such as Cabernet or Zinfandel
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
3 cups (530 g) cooked cannellini beans or (690 g) cooked adzuki beans
1 ounce (30 g) dried mushrooms, broken into bite-size pieces
1 cup (240 ml) water
Salt
½ cup (80 g) Cashew Cream (page 236)
4 slices sourdough bread (GF: 4 slices gluten-free bread)
 

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
 

Combine the onions, cremini mushrooms, 1 cup of the stock, thyme, rosemary, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a large Dutch oven. Cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour, stirring and scraping down the sides of the pot every 20 minutes and adding the wine after 40 minutes.
 

Transfer the pot to the stovetop and place over medium-high heat. Preheat the broiler.
 

Carefully stir in the arrowroot powder, then add the beans, dried mushrooms, water, and remaining 3 cups stock. Bring to a low boil. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
 

Divide the cashew cream evenly among the slices of bread. Broil until the bread is toasted and the cashew cream is golden brown. Place a slice of bread atop individual bowls of stew and serve.
 

Note: I like to stir in a splash of white wine vinegar during the last few minutes of cooking, or at the table, with this one.