boulder bourguignon

It is sad to see good restaurants close. One restaurant that I am missing these days is Sunflower Restaurant in downtown Boulder. Though it was a tad expensive, it served delicious, organic food that had a flavor profile to match the price (unlike some fancy restaurants). Just the other day, I had a craving for their "Boulder Bourguignon" so I attempted to recreate it. Do you have any favorite restaurants/dishes that you miss?

Bourguignon Ingredients:
16 oz. seitan, torn up bites
8 oz. tempeh, crumbled
6 T. soy sauce
6 T. maple syrup
2 T. vegan margarine
2 T. olive oil
liquid smoke
black pepper
2 T. flour
8 oz. yellow potato, cubed
8 oz. beet, peeled and cubed
4 oz. carrot, sliced
3 c. red wine
2-3 c. veggie broth
1 T. tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. thyme
1 bay leaf
salt
8 oz. pearl onions
1 T. vegan margarine
1 T. olive oil
thyme
salt
black pepper
1/2 c. veggie broth
4 oz. small mushrooms

Creamy Polenta Ingredients:
8 c. water
2 c. coarse corn meal
2 T. vegan margarine
2 t. salt

If you don't know how, making seitan at home is super easy and cheap. I will post about the process sometime soon.

Heat seitan and tempeh in soy sauce, maple syrup, margarine, oil, and liquid smoke over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and toss the seitan and tempeh in flour and black pepper. Let it cook for a few minutes. Transfer the seitan and tempeh to a 9x13 baking dish and add the potatoes, beets, carrots, red wine, veggie broth, tomato paste, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and salt. Mix. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 2 hours. Stir up the mixture every 30 minutes or so. You can add additional veggie broth if things start to dry out. Your goal is to have liquid covering everything.

30 minutes before the bourguignon finishes in the oven, saute pearl onions in oil, margarine, salt, pepper, and thyme until browned. Add 1/2 c. veggie brother and simmer with cover for 20 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the onions and continue to cook. When you take the bourguignon out of the oven, stir in the onions and mushrooms

Start the water boiling for the creamy polenta 30 minutes before the bourguignon comes out of the over. Once the water is boiling, stir in the coarse corn meal. Continue to stir for 20 minutes. Add margarine and salt.

Serve the bourguignon next to or on top of the creamy polenta and enjoy!!