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

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Celery Root Bisque

If you saw this hideous monster (a.k.a. celery root) at the grocery store, would you buy it or just keep walking? The answer for most sane people is probably just keep walking. But if you knew you could chop off the nasty parts and make a delicious, velvety smooth soup from the rest, would you buy it then? I'm guessing the answer from about 90% of you is still no (cowards).

Now, how many of you aren't afraid, you're just not willing to chop it up? That's what I figured - there goes another 8%. So this post is really for the 2% of you who are still reading. Hi. This is a lovely, creamy soup that's rich and has a subtle hint of celery. If you like potato soup, you'll love it. Remember, don't judge a root by it's gnarly cover.

CELERY ROOT BISQUE

Makes 8 servings

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup coarsely chopped shallots (about 3 large)

2 lb. celery root, peeled, woody parts discarded, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 5 ½ cups)

1 10-ounce russet potato, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces

5 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme, plus more for garnish

1/4 cup cream

1.      Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add celery; cover and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add shallots; sauté uncovered 3 minutes. Stir in celery root cubes and potato, then broth and 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme. Increase heat to high; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly.

2.      Puree soup until smooth using an immersion blender (or in a blender in batches). Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate.

3.      Stir cream into soup and bring to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4.      Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with additional chopped thyme and serve.

Bon Appétit, November 2005

celery root, a.k.a. celeriac (not in any way related to celiac)

You can see the celery growing up top. You can also see
that it's very dirty. After I chopped off all the dirty parts,
I rinsed the white part before chopping into cubes.

Tell me this doesn't look like a beanstalk right out of a fairytale.

chopping off the woody outside

celery and shallots

adding celery root and potato

broth and thyme added

coming to a boil

about to blend with the thunderstick (immersion blender)

celery root bisque

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Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions & Goat Cheese

If you're looking for a special occasion mashed potato, this is a good contender. Especially if you're a freak for caramelized onions and goat cheese like I am (one of my all time favorite food combinations). It's kind of sweet & tangy...so good. As a matter of fact, I'm realizing now that I have some in my freezer (I purposely made extra last time so I would). Correction: it was in my freezer and is now defrosting in the fridge awaiting tonight's dinner.

MASHED POTATOES WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND GOAT CHEESE

Serves 4

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided use

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 ½ pounds yellow onions (approx. 2 large onions), thinly sliced

kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar

3 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 ½ cups half and half

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 bay leaf

3 ounces goat cheese

black pepper

1.      To make the caramelized onions, heat 2 tablespoons of butter and the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and stir them to coat with the fat. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and the sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are golden brown and caramelized, about 30-40 minutes. If the onions get too dry, add a small amount of water to deglaze the pan. Set aside.

2.      Place potatoes in a large pot of cold, salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender.

3.      While the potatoes are cooking, heat the half and half, garlic, bay leaf, and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.

4.      Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot, dry pot. Stir them over low heat for 2 minutes until they are dry. Pass the potatoes through a ricer into a large bowl. Gently stir in the hot cream mixture a little at a time until the potatoes are smooth and creamy (discard the garlic and bay leaf). You may not need to use all of the liquid. Set aside a small amount of the caramelized onions for garnish and stir the remaining onions into the mashed potatoes. Crumble the goat cheese into the potatoes and stir to combine well. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

5.      Spoon the mashed potatoes into a serving bowl and garnish with the remaining caramelized onions. Serve hot.

from food52.com (added by Sonali aka the Foodie Physician)

onions

caramelized onions

I really pushed them to their limit (I  probably had
them on the stove for like an hour and 20 minutes).

potatoes in water

riced potatoes

If you don't have a ricer, you can obviously just mash them,
but the ricer gives them a really great, smooth consistency.

mixing in the half 'n half mixture

super smooth

mixing in the ultra caramelized onions & goat cheese

I didn't save any onions for garnish -
I just tossed them all in there.

mashed potatoes with caramelized onions and goat cheese

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