I would toil away late into the evening in the back of my little store, in the kitchen with an apartment electric oven and limited supplies. After my long day, and after all of my customers had left, I would clean up, sweep the floors and then begin preparations for the following day. As hard as the work was, this was a case of living one’s passion – I loved what I was doing. One of my catering clients had a party every year where they served bouef bourguignon and fish quenelles with a lobster sauce. The local lobsterman would bring lobsters and place them in a pot boiling water for me while I stood outside the back door and then I would begin to make my huge pot of bouef bourguignon.

I was a vegetarian back then, as I am now, but I would still cook meat for others, as I felt I needed to do that to be successful. These days, I wouldn’t dream of it. As a twenty-three-year-old, I didn’t understand that I could take a stand for what I believed in. As an almost 60-year-old woman, I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t.

Vegan Mushroom Bourguignon

Eating a vegetarian diet has had very few challenges for me. I’ve been able to create delicious meatless dishes that are traditionally made with animal protein. This mushroom bourguignon was born from memories of working in my shop and making the beef version using Julia Child’s famous recipe. Eat it as a hearty stew with some toast or serve it over rice, wide noodles, or scooped onto a bed of mashed potatoes. You can make this recipe using fresh plum tomatoes or tomato paste. I recommend using good red wine for this recipe. It’s only 1/2 cup, but the quality of the wine makes a difference – and you can have a glass with dinner, so nothing goes to waste!

Garnish with some sour cream (vegan or non-vegan) and a sprinkle of fresh parsley or other herbs.

Enjoy!