Mushroom Bourguignon

Mushroom Bourguignon, originally uploaded by riptideredsf.

Arrrrrggggggggggh! Damn post disappeared before I got a chance to send it.
So. I was going on about my newly discovered love of the 'shroom. I had another epiphany with the same joy/sorrow head smacking episode I had with the whole freezer-cookie dough regret that I was sooooo late to the party.
Mushrooms. I just never knew how good they could be. They've always taken a back seat to the few dishes I ever used them for. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Well thats all changed now.
First it was SK's Mushroom Lasagne, then the Bacon and Mushroom Cream from Jamie Olivers Kitchen Revolution, then it was SK's Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms and then Dorie Greenspans Mushroom and Shallot Quiche  now this. Mushroom Bourguignon, another, need I say, Smitten Kitchen glory. This was my first time with the portabello, a mushroom that well, really, just scared me. So big and uhm, mushroomy. While I'm admitting to my emergence from a culinary wasteland I'll also admit that this is the first time I've cooked with red wine. I've never particularly liked red wine. This goes back to a bad episode in my misspent youth for the same reason tequila was banished into a nearly 20 year exile. Get the picture?
Over the last couple of years or so I've managed to choke down consume a little red wine now and again when on the rare trip to the local vineyards or there was nothing else to drink or as not to appear a total heathen at a social gathering where red wine was served at a dinner table to accompany a red meat dish. Now I understand what all the fuss is about.
On Christmas Eve at Little Sister Kitchen I was educated on the aeration of red wine and the concept of letting the wine breathe. OK, now I get it. Thus I ventured. This recipe surprised me the other day (SK's feature where with a click a random recipe will pop up) I was gung ho to give it a go. I did a little research on buying and cooking with red wine and bought two different bottles to experiment with. I did not go for the Two Buck Chuck as I most certainly would have done a year ago.
Thus I set up my own little taste test: Smart & Final had a Barefoot Cab on sale for $7 and Target had a Yellowtail Shiraz on sale for $5. I opened both up and let them breathe for about an hour, poured a little taster in each glass observing the color: the Cab was a little darker-meaning more rested I think. Tasting, the Barefoot seemed a slightly bitter compared to the shiraz so into the pot went the shiraz as of course everyone knows never to cook with a wine you won't drink. Not that the cab was bad but the shiraz was lovely. Smooth and sweet. Sold! AND bestest yet, it was the least expensive of the two. Hey! it's not Two-Buck Chuck.
The upshot of all of this is that not only did I get a little education and again ventured out of my comfort zone I created another winner... the Mushroom Bourguignon is a triumph! Wooohooo. I topped the gorgeous rich  mahogany stew onto some egg noodles with a little crema fresca and some chopped cilantro and well, just bliss. Mushrooms and red wine. Who knew? Clearly everyone except me.