Mediterranean Mushrooms

Ingredients

2 pounds mushrooms
¾ cup water
1 large onion, sliced
1 leek, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 cup white wine (or apple juice)
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
freshly ground pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch

Instructions

Prepare mushrooms by cleaning and removing stems. Leave whole if they are small, otherwise cut in half. Set aside. In a large pot, sauté the onion, leek, carrots, celery, and garlic in ½ cup of the water for 10 minutes. Stir in wine, tomatoes, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and add prepared mushrooms. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix arrowroot or cornstarch with remaining ¼ cup water. Slowly add to mushroom mixture while stirring. Cook and stir until thickened. Serve over rice or pasta.

HELPFUL HINTS: Save the stems of the mushrooms and chop for your next batch of spaghetti sauce. Freeze until ready to use. Save some preparation time by preparing the mushrooms while the other vegetables are cooking.

Servings 6-8.  Recipe is from the McDougall Newsletter