Vegetable Stew

I hadn't made this recipe in probably ten years and then suddenly woke up one morning with a craving for it. I don't know what vital nutrient I'm lacking that would account for such an atypically healthy craving. I just labeled it a happy anomaly and went with it. I have to stay, it was a nice change of pace not to feel guilty for indulging myself. And after a walk to the farmer's market (where I was delighted to find every vegetable on my list), I came home and whipped up a batch of this hearty stew that totally hit the spot. Really, I swear (again, I can't explain it).

VEGETABLE STEW

Yield: 6 large servings

6 tablespoons unsalted butter (or 5 tablespoons olive oil)

2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 medium potatoes, cut into small chunks

1 eggplant, diced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 stalk broccoli, cut into tiny florets

3 carrots, sliced
3/4 cup burgundy (or other red wine)
2 medium-small zucchini, cut into chunks
2 large (or 3 medium) ripe tomatoes, diced
¼ lb. sliced white or cremini mushrooms
6 oz. tomato paste
¼ cup molasses (unsulfured)
1 teaspoon dried dill weed

sour cream (optional)

freshly chopped parsley (optional)

1.      Melt the butter or oil in a large stew pot.  Add the onions, garlic, potatoes and eggplant and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Sauté until potatoes begin to get tender.

2.      Stir in the celery, broccoli, carrots and wine. Cover the pot and steam until all vegetables begin to get tender, stirring occasionally.

3.      Add zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, tomato paste, molasses and dill. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender (stirring occasionally). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4.      Serve hot, topped with sour cream and freshly chopped parsley.

slightly adapted from Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen

onions, garlic, potatoes and eggplant in pot

starting to get tender

adding celery, carrots, broccoli and wine

added vegetables getting tender

adding zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms,
tomato paste, molasses and dill

mixed

about 25 minutes later...vegetable stew

.

Mushroom Thyme Gravy

This is the ideal gravy for vegetarians or people (like me) who fry their turkey on Thanksgiving and don't have pan drippings to make gravy. It's rich and deeply flavorful. And if you don't like the idea of making it with vegetable or chicken stock, you can always make a stock from the giblets from inside your turkey (I actually simmered the giblets in homemade chicken stock for a super hybrid stock). Booyah.  

MUSHROOM THYME GRAVY

Yield: 2 cups

1/3 cup dried mushrooms (shitake or mixed)

2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, preferably homemade

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallot

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup light cream

1 tablespoon sherry

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

salt & pepper

1.      Bring the stock to a boil. In a small bowl pour stock over mushrooms. Let soak for 20 minutes.

2.      Remove mushrooms from bowl, setting the stock aside for later. Mince or thinly slice the mushrooms.

3.      In a medium saucepan melt the butter. Add the minced shallot and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat until softened.

4.      Add the flour to the butter/shallot mixture stirring constantly. Cook for a 2 minutes.

5.      Gradually add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved vegetable stock (leaving mushroom sediment out), stirring well to incorporate after each addition. Cook over medium heat until thickened.

6.      Add the reserved mushrooms, soy sauce, cream, sherry & thyme to the gravy. Cook for a few more minutes until heated through and thickened to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

from food52.com (added by sticksnscones)

dried shiitake mushrooms

shiitake mushrooms soaking in hot stock

soaked shiitake mushrooms

shallots cooking in butter

adding flour

roux

adding the stock

thickening

fresh thyme leaves

adding mushrooms, soy sauce, cream, sherry & thyme

mushroom thyme gravy

You can make this the day before and
reheat, thinning with more stock as needed.

gravy on mashed potatoes

 .

Smothered Tempeh

If you're not a vegetarian, there's a good chance you think tempeh is a city in Arizona. And if you are familiar with tempeh, there's an equally good chance you think someone should ship it all to some hippies in Arizona. I can't say that I love tempeh. I mean, I would never toast up some tempeh sticks just plain for a snack. It really does need a little something (like, I don't know, say mushrooms and onions) to smother it in.

This recipe was originally a sandwich, but I decided it tasted better without the bread. Which is strange because normally I think sandwiching things is a great idea (except for when I get sandwiched on the train between a guy who thinks that extra cologne will cover up the fact that he didn't have time to shower after his workout and a woman who smells like a cross between bologna, cabbage and a wet dog). I don't even want to know what she was cooking.

SMOTHERED TEMPEH

Yield: 4 servings

1 (8 oz.) package tempeh (I like three-grain)

1 tablespoon canola oil

10 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup dry red wine

4 oz. sliced provolone cheese

1.      Cut tempeh in half widthwise, then slice each piece horizontally to make 4 thin slices total.

2.      Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion and salt and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

3.      Reduce heat to medium and stir in wine. Add tempeh slices and spoon some of the mushroom mixture over them; cook until the tempeh is heated through and the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

4.      Remove pan from the heat, top with cheese, cover and let stand until the cheese melts, about 1 ½ minutes. Serve tempeh topped with more mushrooms and onions.

barely adapted from Eating Well, May/June 2007

three-grain tempeh

sliced tempeh

raw red onion and mushrooms

golden red onions and mushrooms

wine added

tempeh added

tempeh smothered with mushrooms and onions

provolone on top

provolone getting melty

smothered tempeh on toasted bread

smothered tempeh sandwich

.