Carlin Pea Stroganoff (V) from Full of Beans

By Erin Brown
Related Categories: Cookbook Confidential

“This dish is the dictionary definition of heartwarming. The bean stock helps create a glossy sauce that’s packed full of umami flavour from the mushrooms. Choose your carb accompaniment – mop up the leftovers with crusty bread, pour over silky mashed potatoes or spoon it over a big bowl of rice, baked potatoes or buttered tagliatelle.” Amelia Christie-Miller, author of Full of Beans

500g (1lb 2oz) mixed mushrooms, roughly sliced (we like chestnut, oyster and shiitake)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves / 1 tsp dried thyme

1 tbsp tomato purée

2 tsp sweet paprika

½ tsp cayenne pepper

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

50ml (2fl oz) marsala wine or brandy

500ml (18fl oz) veg stock

2 tbsp crème fraîche or soured cream

1 tsp Dijon mustard

570g (1lb 4½oz) jarred carlin peas, with their bean stock

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce or Henderson’s Relish

15g (½oz) parsley, finely chopped

Knob of butter (optional)

Salt and pepper

To serve

Mashed potatoes, cooked rice, baked potatoes or buttered tagliatelle

Steamed green beans (optional)

Feeds 3-4

Start by dry-frying your mushrooms in a large, deep-sided casserole pan over a medium–high heat. Do this in two batches, first frying half of the mushrooms for about 5 minutes until coloured and crisping at the edges, then removing to a plate and repeating with the other half. Dry-frying gives them a bit more texture.

In the same pan, heat the olive oil over a medium–low heat. Add the onions, along with a pinch of salt, and cook gently for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally so that they don’t catch. Cooking the onions slow like this will bring out a lovely caramelised flavour.

Add the thyme, tomato purée, sweet paprika, cayenne pepper and garlic to the onions and cook off for another 2 minutes until some of the onions start sticking to the bottom.

Deglaze the pan with the alcohol, then let it bubble off for a few minutes until it is reduced by half.

Now gradually add the stock, stirring the mixture to a smooth paste before adding more. Once all your stock is added, bring your mixture to a simmer for 2 minutes to thicken. Return the mushrooms to the pan, along with the crème fraîche, Dijon mustard and carlin peas, with their bean stock. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce or Henderson’s Relish, along with most of the parsley. If using, swirl through a knob of butter to give it a bit more richness. Simmer for about 3 minutes more to warm it all through and ensure the mixture is creamy and glossy. Season with salt and lots of cracked black pepper.

Serve with the carb of your choice, topped with the remaining parsley, with some steamed green beans on the side, if you like.