So I decided to tackle a beans bourguignon tonight. Heard it was good, figured it’d be cozy. Realized I had basically nothing in the pantry.
The Great Ingredient Hunt Begins
First up, beans. Original recipe called for white beans, like cannellini or Great Northern. My usual stash? Empty. Grabbed my keys and headed to the closest place – Walmart. Figured they’d have canned beans, easy-peasy. Wrong. The canned bean aisle was picked clean. Except for baked beans. No good. Saw some dried beans nearby but honestly, who’s got time for soaking beans tonight? Not me. Went online (my phone, duh) and saw Target had some cans listed as “in stock”. Took a chance, drove over. Score! Found canned cannellini beans there. Lesson learned: check the dried section if canned is gone, but hit Target first next time for canned.
Next, veggies. Needed carrots, onions, mushrooms, garlic. Easy stuff, right? Mostly. Walmart actually did okay here. Found decent carrots and onions. Garlic bulb was fine. Mushrooms… the button mushrooms looked a little sad, but okay. Then I needed tomato paste. Tiny little can. Found it near the spaghetti sauce after wandering aimlessly for five minutes.
Then came the liquid. Red wine is key for bourguignon flavour. Any cheap dry red wine works, they say. Walmart’s wine aisle gives me anxiety. So many bottles. Looked for a cheap Cabernet Sauvignon. Found one for like $8. Grabbed it. Also needed veggie stock. Boxed is fine. Found that near the soups. Done.
The Final Stretch
Last bits: Thyme (dried is fine, grabbed a little jar), bay leaf (also jarred), pearl onions (wanted frozen, Walmart had them – thank goodness), and… bacon or something smoky. Original uses bacon, I went for some smoked tempeh bits I saw near the tofu, figured it would do for that smoky hit. Also grabbed some all-purpose flour for thickening. Pantry staple, but always good to double-check!
Mission (Mostly) Accomplished
Ended up hitting two stores:
- Walmart: Got veggies, wine, stock, tomato paste, tempeh, frozen pearl onions, herbs.
- Target: Saved me on the canned beans.
Total time: Way longer than I planned, maybe 50 minutes with driving. My feet hurt.
Big takeaways?
- Canned Beans: If Walmart’s wiped, Target seemed more reliable. Or grab dried and hope you remember later.
- Wine: Any cheap dry red in the wine section is fine, just grab and go.
- Pearl Onions: Frozen ones in the veggie freezer aisle are lifesavers.
- Plan Two Stores: Maybe start with Target for the canned beans and wine next time?
- Check Your Pantry: Seriously. Might have saved the bean panic.
It turned out great in the end. Finding stuff? That was the real adventure! Good luck out there!
