Roasted Winter Vegetable Stew
This recipe is a great way to use up all those vegetables available right now at the Pearl Farmers Market. It’s delicious and simple, the way vegetables should be. Feel free to play around with vegetable choices. This is just what I bought, but any preferences will work, except beets, as they will color the whole stew and you won’t get all the pretty colors.
1 cup dried cranberry beans (or any of your choosing)
5 bay leaves
1 head of garlic (peeled and chopped)
2 leeks (trimmed, all tough parts removed)
olive oil as needed
2 tsp fresh thyme
2 tsp fresh tarragon
2 cups white wine
2 cups veg stock
2 fennel bulbs
10-15 brussel sprouts
8 baby carrots
2 turnips
10 medium-sized pieces of green cauliflower
1 garnet yam
1 bunch rainbow chard
1 bunch kale
1/2 bunch chopped parsley
1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Soak beans overnight. Drain water and put in a pot with enough clean water to cover by an inch. Add bay leaves and a few cloves of garlic. Bring to a boil and then simmer with lid on until beans are tender. Drain and reserve bean water for stock. Preheat oven to 375. Sautee garlic and half the leeks in a few tablespoons of olive oil until browned. Add thyme and tarragon. Add wine and reduce for approximately 10 minutes. Then add vegetable stock and bean water and continue to simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chop all vegetables in whatever shape you like, being sure to keep them about the same size so they cook evenly. In a roasting pan coat all the vegetables with olive oil and put in oven. Stir every 10-15 minutes. While these are cooking, sauté the greens in olive oil and garlic until just tender. After 30-35 minutes add the beans, the stock, and the greens to the pan and toss well. Cook for 10-15 more minutes. Serve hot and top with chopped parsley and lemon. Can be served as is, over quinoa, or with a nice loaf of warm bread. •