Can you DO that?

Everyone got the same puzzled look on their face and asked the same question.  "Can you DO that?"  It didn't seem so impossible.

My friend, Linda, had invited the usual suspects over for a pre-Easter, Holy Saturday, dinner.  Our weather had been typically dismal and damp.  So, she thought it would be appropriate to serve a hearty-meaty stew.  And, at the time we were planning the menu, it sounded wonderful.  (More about the weather later.)

Suddenly she asked, "What will your husband eat?"  As you may recall, he's our resident vegetarian.  Without thinking, I said, "Oh, I'll make a veggie stew."  That's when I got The Look and The Question for the first time.  Since then, I've seen it (and heard it) every time the pre-Easter, Holy Saturday dinner menu was discussed.

I'm here to tell you, people, that it IS possible to make a hearty, if not so meaty, stew!  It's all about flavor and the way to start building flavor from the get-go is with our tri-colored favorite, mirepoix.

It doesn't stop there.  Each addition to the pot is more flavor and more yumminess (is that a word?  or perhaps I've spelled it wrong?).  In place of meat, I used two kinds of mushrooms - button and brown (or baby Portobellos).

Of course, it has red potatoes, carrots, and peas to round out the typical stew flavors.  It's those smaller additions to the pot that make a big difference, though.  Red onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme, diced tomatoes, etc...  

One ingredient in particular had me intrigued.  I couldn't imagine putting it in my stew.  And, I was just sure it would ruin the pot.  After wavering back and forth several times, I eventually did put it in even though I had serious doubts.  Happily, I was wrong.  Wrong, wrong, wrong.  It really did make a difference.  ...Are you curious yet?..  Oh, just keep reading, you'll figure it out.

To set the record straight, I can't take full credit for this recipe.  I adapted it from several that I found in cookbooks and online.  Ultimately, it's my own.  But, like any good recipe, it's built on ideas gathered from others.  So, to all those chefs who inspired me, thank you!  Of course, I think MY recipe is BETTER than yours.  But, seriously, I couldn't have done it without you.

Well, enough babbling.  Here it is:  My version of a vegetarian stew.  Oh!  Here's the best part...guess who ate most of it?  You got it - the carnivores.  Um. Did I mention the piping hot, fresh-from-the-oven Popovers I made to go with the stew?  What's that?  You want that recipe, too?

Veggie Stew

Ingredients

2	T olive oil
1	medium onion, minced
2	medium carrots, minced
4	stalks celery hearts, minced
1	medium red onion, chopped
1 ¼	lbs baby Portobello mushrooms, stems discarded, caps halved and then sliced ½-inch thick
10	oz button mushrooms, stems trimmed and then mushrooms quartered
3	medium garlic cloves, minced
1	t minced fresh rosemary
½	t dried thyme
½	c white wine
1	T mushroom seasoning
3	c vegetable stock
1 ½	t kosher salt
1	can petite diced tomatoes in purée
2	bay leaves (don’t forget to fish them out at the end!)
1	lb carrots (about 6-7 medium), peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 ½	lbs red potatoes (about 6-7 medium), peeled, quartered, and crosscut into 1-inch chunks
1	T cornstarch
1	T cold water
1	c frozen peas
¼	c minced fresh parsley leaves (curly or flat-leaf)
1	T balsamic vinegar (I know! weird, huh?!)

Directions

1.        Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
2.        Add the minced onion, carrot, and celery, and sauté, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to brown, about 10 minutes.
3.        Add the red onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
4.        Add the Portobello and button mushrooms, raise the heat to medium-high, and sauté until the liquid the release has been evaporated, about 10 minutes.
5.        Add the garlic, rosemary, and thyme and cook for 30 seconds.
6.        Add the wine, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pot.*
7.        Cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
8.        Add the mushroom seasoning, stock, salt, tomatoes, bay leaf, carrots, and potatoes, and bring to a boil.
9.        Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the carrots and potatoes are tender, about 35 minutes.
10.     Mix the cornstarch and with water to form a smooth paste.
11.     Stir the paste into the stew and cook until the liquid thickens, 1 to 2 minutes.
12.     Turn off the heat, stir in the peas, cover, and let stand until the peas are hot, 3 to 4 minutes.
13.     Stir in the parsley and balsamic vinegar, discard the bay leaf, and adjust the seasonings. Serve immediately.

*If you don't cook with wine, just add an equal amount of stock and skip the reduction in the next step.

NOTE:  I did all the chopping, mincing, slicing, etc... before I ever turned on a burner.  It made the actual cooking time easy.  It was a lot of prep, but totally worth it!

Oh, yes.  The weather.  It turned out to be a FABULOUS, perfect Northwest Spring Day.  Sunny and warm (but, not hot).  Stew and Popovers didn't really match the day.  But, we didn't care one little bit.