White Bean and Mushroom Ragout

For dinner last night I made this dish from Moosewood's Simple Suppers. This time I was fully prepared for mediocrity, as is the norm from this cookbook. Therefore, I was not afraid to make some changes. My changes weren't huge: I doubled the amount of garlic, used both rosemary and thyme, and used one portobello mushroom and about 8 regular white mushrooms (they were what I had on hand and needed to use up). I also did not serve this over polenta as suggested--Mike and I ate it with some crusty white junk bread from Stop and Shop. Yum. My changes definitely made this a repeat recipe.

White Bean and Mushroom Ragout (the original recipe)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme, rosemary, or sage
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds (optional) (I didn't have any)
10 ounces moonlight or cremini mushrooms
1/4 dry red or white wine (I used white--some cheap chardonnay)
1 15-ounce can of cannellini beans, drained
1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or basil (I used parsley)
salt and pepper
Polenta (optional)
grated parmesan cheese (optional) (I left this out, obviously)

1) In a saucepan on medium heat, warm the oil and add the onions, garlic, herbs, and fennel. Sprinkle lightly with salt, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are softened and starting to brown. While the onions cook, rinse and quarter the mushrooms.
2) When the onions are soft, stir in the mushrooms and wine, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, and parsley, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, until hot and juicy, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3) (OPTIONAL) While the ragout simmers, prepared the Polenta. Serve the ragout on the Polenta and sprinkle with cheese if you like.
Serves 4.