It’s Food Matters Project Monday, and this one might be a stretch. This week’s pick was coq au vin, and while I’m surely on board with the vin part, chicken isn’t my thing, and I wasn’t all that inspired to try a vegetarian version of it. Jack and I were out at dinner on Friday night, and he just so happened to order coq au vin (what are the odds?). Never having tried the dish before I became vegetarian, I was surprised to see that it looked just like a rustic mushroom stew. So I took some Tuscan inspiration and decided to make a mushroom, white bean, tomato, and kale stew the next night. It turned out to be the perfect thing for a cool night and a low-key Saturday dinner at home on our patio. Cooking the mushrooms with wine (and also a little balsamic), gave it a nice zing that balanced the hearty mushrooms and cannellini beans. Serve it with a nice bottle of red wine and some crusty bread.
