Winter stews don’t need to involve meat to be full-bodied and warming. Search local produce if feasible. Root vegetables (onions, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas) are fine choices.
Cabbage, sweet potatoes, winter squash, carrots, and assorted greens such as kale are in season during the wintertime. Here are a few recipes for healthy, gratifying winter vegetable stews utilizing local vegetables.
1. Squash and Carrot Stew
Serve this beautiful orange stew over rice or millet.
Ingredients:
* 3 cups of cubed, peeled butternut squash (you’ll need a squash that is about one and a half pounds for this yield)
* 2 cups chunked, peeled carrots
* 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5-ounce), drained
* 1 cup water
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 3 garlic cloves, chopped
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 teaspoons paprika (Hungarian sweet paprika will afford the stew a deep, smoky taste, but regular paprika will work)
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon each of ground black pepper, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions
Sauté the onions in the olive oil until they’re soft. Then add the garlic and all the spices. Stir to combine. Pour in the water, tomatoes, and lemon juice. After it comes to a boil, add the squash and the carrots. Simmer the stew over medium-low heat for around twenty-five minutes. Then stir in the salt and pepper and correct to taste.
2. Crockpot Root Vegetable Stew
A crusty, whole wheat artisan bread would go well with this stew.
Ingredients:
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 4 to 6 small shallots, peeled and cut in half
* 8 chunked, peeled carrots or baby carrots
* 1 pound new potatoes
* 2 turnips or 1 small rutabaga, or a combination
* 2 cloves crushed or minced garlic
* 1½ cups vegetable stock
* ¼ cup dry red or white wine
* 1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
* 1½ teaspoons dried “poultry seasoning” or a mix of thyme, sage, and savory
* Salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
Scrub potatoes and cut them if required so that no chunks are larger than one and a half inches. Peel the turnips or rutabagas and cut them into 1.5 nch pieces.
Use 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to coat the bottom of a crockpot. Put in the shallots, carrots, potatoes, turnips and toss them to coat them in the oil. Contribute the salt and pepper, pour in the liquids, and dust on the herbs. Drizzle the remaining tablespoonful of olive oil over the stew. Cover and cook on low for six to eight hours.
This recipe may be adapted to a pressure cooker or stovetop cooking. For stovetop cooking, heat the oil 1st and add all the ingredients; bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer, and cook for an hour and one-half. For pressure cooking, carry on as for the stovetop, bring to pressure, and then lower heat to low and pressure cook for twenty-five minutes.
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