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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