Unlike some vegetarians out there, I’m not at all averse to using “meat substitutes” like Quorn in my cooking because I don’t consider them meat substitutes, but sources of protein. My kids eat Quorn sausages, nuggets and the like frequently but, never having eaten meat in their lives, I don’t see the logic in calling them meat substitutes any more than tofu is. That said, I’m sure this recipe would be great if you replaced the Quorn with tofu or simply left it out and upped the mushrooms or perhaps added some potatoes.

Ingredients

2 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium red onion, halved and sliced lengthwise
24 pearl onions
350 g white mushrooms (champignons de Paris), quartered
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Black pepper
Olive oil
220g plain, white Quorn, diced
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup young red wine
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste or puree
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
parsley to decorate

Directions

Sauté the Quorn in a casserole with a dash of olive oil until browned. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Sauté the peeled pearl onions in the same casserole with a tablespoon of olive oil until golden brown. Add about 1 cup of the vegetable stock (until they’re about half covered) and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until almost all the liquid disappears and the onions are tender but keep their shape. Remove to a bowl with any remaining liquid and set aside.

Brush and halve or quarter the mushrooms (depending on their size) and sauté with a tablespoon of olive oil in the same casserole. Keep stirring gently until browned (about 10 minutes). Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Still using the same casserole, sauté onion and carrot. When everything is golden (about 10 minutes), sprinkle with the flour and keep stirring 3-4 minutes, until vegetables have a nice crust.

Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaf, black pepper, tomato paste, the rest of the stock and the wine. Give it a good stir, bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

Turn the heat to minimum, add the pearl onions, mushrooms and Quorn to the casserole and stir gently. Cover and cook gently for another 20 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.
Serve with some fresh parsley sprinkled on top.

It was absolutely delicious. We ate it with with some homemade crusty French bread and accompanied it with a glass or two of Burgundy.