Hello Green Dog Wine readers! This is Carly from So I Married a Chef. One of my favorite things to make in the fall and winter is soup or stew! I love making them because they are warm, comforting, last for days, and are usually pretty healthy. Allison and I decided that a stew tutorial would be perfect for a guest post because it is NOT something that she typically makes! The butternut squash at my local farmers market was absolutely beautiful, so I decided a vegetarian (can be vegan) root vegetable stew would be perfect.

I always gather my ingredients and do a little mise en place, which simply means to prep all the ingredients before cooking so that the cooking part goes quickly and smoothly.

I group my ingredients in bowls for each step. I started with garlic, an onion, and a leek.

If you have never worked with a leek before, it is really important that you just use the white part (the green is tough) and that you clean the leek. I split the leek lengthwise and rinse it out. Dirt gets inside and can get in your dish if you don’t!

Always make sure to show the dogs some love and give them some treats when you are cooking. My dogs are attention hogs and if I don’t show them love they bug me the entire time I’m in the kitchen.

Continuing on with the stew… My second bowl had peeled and cubed butternut squash, a peeled and cubed turnip, sliced carrots, and a cubed potato. You can peel the potato if you like, but I leave it on for extra fiber.

Drain and rinse a can of garbanzo beans.

Now, in a large stock pot, heat about 2 tsp. of olive oil.

Add in bowl #1 (garlic, onion, leek) and cook until the onion is translucent.

Then add in your seasonings (recipe follows with exact amounts) and stir into the vegetables.

Then, add in bowl #2 (butternut, turnip, carrots, potato) and the garbanzo beans

Now, add a quart of vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover for 3o minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

While the mixture is simmering, chop and rinse a bunch of kale.

After 30 minutes, add the juice of half a lemon and the kale to the pot. Put the cover on the pot to steam the kale. I check on it every minute or so and give a stir.

Until it looks like this. At this point, taste and decide whether or not to add more salt and pepper.

Then, ladle into bowls and garnish wish fresh chopped cilantro and crumbled feta. Eat and enjoy

Recipe

Root Vegetable Stew – serves 6

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium leek, sliced (white part only)
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• ½ tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp coriander
• salt and pepper to taste
• ½ lb turnip, peeled and cubed (one large turnip)
• ½ lb butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about a cup)
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 potato, cubed
• 1 – 15 oz can of garbanzo beans
• 1 quart vegetable stock
• 1 bunch of kale, chopped
• juice of half a lemon
• cilantro and feta to garnish

1. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over high heat.
2. Add the onion, garlic, and leek. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent.
3. Add the spices (cumin through pepper) and stir to combine.
4. Add the turnip, butternut squash, carrots, potato, garbanzo beans, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover for 30 minutes.
5. Add the lemon juice and kale. Cover the pot and stir every minute or so until the kale is wilted and soft. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
6. Serve garnished with cilantro and feta.