Merlot & Mushroom Hotpot

Serves 10-12. Double the recipe to serve a crowd You will need: 8 tablespoons olive oil 2 large onions, peeled and diced 4 fat cloves of garlic, sliced 4 raw beetroots, peeled and chopped to bite-size 3 bay leaves 5 sprigs of thyme 750ml merlot (or other dry red wine) 2 litres really good stock or bone broth 1 tin of anchovies, chopped 8 handfuls of wild and regular mushrooms Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 tablespoons grated ginger 2 tablespoons kuzu or arrowroot, plus 2 tablespoons of cold water (optional) 1 Gently heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in your largest, heavy-based saucepan. Add the diced onions and the sliced garlic. Saute until they appear glassy, say 8-10 minutes. 2 Tumble in the chopped beets, the bay leaves, the thyme, the merlot, the stock or the bone broth, whichever you’re using, and the chopped anchovies into the pot. Let the pot gurgle for 60 minutes until the beets are tender. Take the lid off and let the alcohol escape (which probably sounds counterintuitive for a festive recipe, but it’s very necessary, sorry). 3 While the stew merrily cooks, slice the mushrooms into bite-sized chunks, or leave them whole if they are small. Heat the remaining four tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan, then lower the heat and cook the mushrooms until they are tender and caramelised. I do this in 3 or 4 batches, listening to comedy podcasts while the stew bubbles. Season the mushrooms with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. As they are cooked, add them to the pot with the beets, thyme, merlot, stock and anchovies. 4 When all the shrooms have been added, grate some ginger into the pot. Let it gently simmer until the beets are tender. 5 If you feel it needs thickening, gently dissolve the 2 tablespoons of kuzu or arrowroot in the 2 tablespoons of cold water and add to the pot 10 minutes towards the end of cooking. My cranky husband prefers to add Dijon mustard, but I like to leave it out to annoy him. It is, after all, Christmas. 6 Serve on its own in great big, deep bowls. This also goes great with fluffy quinoa, grated horseradish, mashed potato, or a simple dollop of plain yoghurt.