Goodness from under the earth
Roast the root vegetables first to deepen stew’s flavour
Chefs dedicated to using local vegetables all year long have become experts at making good-tasting mixtures of root vegetables.
Toronto cookbook authors Nettie Cronish and Cara Rosenbloom call these roots “the goodness from under the earth” and praise the vitamins and minerals they offer.
Cronish, a veteran vegetable advocate and cookbook author, and dietitian Rosenbloom have joined forces to write Nourish: Whole Food Recipes Featuring Seeds, Nuts and Beans (Whitecap).
It’s a winner of a collection of 101 recipes, with 75 excellent colour photographs by Mike McColl. Informative articles about the difference between packaged foods (good preserved foods) and processed foods (rich in salt and sugar), how to cook legumes, soy, nuts and seeds, and the recent nutritional information about fat in the diet, are included.
The recipes offer both meat and meatless ideas, snacks and baking in an easy-reading style. Tips included with each recipe are helpful. Serve this dish with a tossed green salad.
UNDERGROUND STEW
Serves: 6 4 carrots, diced
1 celery root, diced
2 parsnips, diced
1 medium sweet or white potato, peeled, diced
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp (60 plus 15 mL) olive oil
1 tsp (5 mL) sea salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) freshly ground pepper
1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon
1 tsp (5 mL) paprika
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground nutmeg
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup (125 mL) dry white wine
4 cups (1 L) no-salt vegetable broth
1 can (19 ounces/540 mL) pinto beans, drained, rinsed
2 tsp (10 mL) finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp (10 mL) finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1/4 cup (60 mL) roasted, salted peanuts (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 400 F (205 C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix carrots, celery root, parsnips and potatoes with the ¼ cup oil, ½ tsp of the salt, the pepper, cinnamon, paprika and nutmeg.
3. Spread mixture on prepared pan in a single layer and roast until they are tender to the fork, about 25 minutes.
4. Heat the 1 tbsp olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat and cook onions until tender and beginning to brown, three to five minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add wine and cook until it is reduced by half, three to five minutes.
5. Add broth and beans and bring to a boil. Add roasted vegetables, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Add rosemary and parsley, remove from heat, and serve in heated bowls. Top each serving with peanuts.