Vegan Coq au Vin

This semester I hope to cook a ton of new recipes. I'm pretty sure I say that every semester, but I am on a "pre-tenure leave" this semester, which means that I'm not teaching anything! Instead, my time will be spent working on writing up all the research I've been doing over the past years. I've got big goals (four manuscripts of the six I have waiting, plus seriously revising a class I will be teaching in the fall), but I have been told that I am also to take time to relax and rejuvenate. For me, that means cooking, singing, and reading books for fun. All of that sounds amazing.

To start off the semester of fun new foods, I decided to pick a recipe from an awesome cookbook that I've barely used: World Vegan Feast. Bryanna Clark Grogan is amazing. She has a number of awesome vegan cookbooks and an extensive vegan recipe blog. She also has an interesting background with family members from various parts of the world. Aside from her amazingness (not a word) as a cook, I also wanted this cookbook as a way to stretch my taste buds and culinary repertoire. This "coq" au vin does just that. The flavors are traditionally French for a taste of international cuisine when you don't have the money and time to actually go there!

Vegan Coq au Vin
This recipe is barely modified from the one of the same name in Bryanna Clark Grogan's World Vegan Feast (p. 141-142) .

Ingredients
1 T. sesame oil
1 med. onion, chopped (~1 c.)
2 small/medium carrots, chopped (~1/2 - 1 c.)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 T. white flour
1 bag soy curls, reconstituted and drained
2 1/2 c. dry red wine
2 c. no-chicken broth
2 tsp. tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 c. pearl onions, trimmed
8 ounces red potatoes, sliced into 1/2 inch squares
1/4 c. white wine
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

wide flat egg-free noodles

Directions
1. In a large pot, saute the onions and carrots in the sesame oil until the onions are soft, then add garlic and saute for another minute.
2. Add the flour, cooking and stirring until slightly brown.
3. Add the soy curls, wine,  broth, and tomato paste, stirring vigorously to incorporate. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 1 hour.
4. Coat the pearl onions and potatoes in the white wine and olive oil, roasting at 450 degrees or until soft. Add to the stew.
5. Cook noodles as per package directions.
6. If the sauce has gotten thicker, you're ready to eat. If not, keep the lid off the pot and cook, stirring regularly, until thick. Serve over pasta.

Helpful Hints

• The original recipe calls for sherry where I used white wine. I don't keep sherry on hand and since I made this on a Sunday, I couldn't go out to purchase any (alcohol isn't sold in Indiana on Sunday). Looking through this book, however, I may have to keep some on hand, as she uses it in many recipes. 
• The original recipe also called for 8 ounces of white or cremini mushrooms where I used potatoes. Shana and I do mushrooms in very specific ways. While I would have likely eaten them in this recipe, cooked mushrooms (when they are identifiable as mushrooms) are OUT for Shana. The potatoes worked well, although it is certainly less traditional. 
• I first mentioned Soy Curls in my shepherd's pie recipe and also use them in my "chicken" and noodles recipe. I have not yet seen them in stores, but you can buy them online at VeganEssentials (or a variety of other places, I'm sure). 
• I know the ingredient list is long. This is NOT an every-day dinner, for that reason and because of how long it takes. 

The post "Vegan Coq au Vin" originally appeared on Maggie's LesVegan Kitchen.