Winter vegetable stew with juniper berries

4 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
4 cups Vegetable broth with lentils and tomato; see recipe
½ small Rutabaga; peeled, blanched
2 smalls Turnips; peeled, blanched
2 mediums Leeks (white and light green); washed and trimmed
2 White onions; see detail
2 larges Carrots; peeled
2 mediums Potatoes; peeled
8 mediums Mushrooms; cut if necessary
1 tablespoon Olive oil
4 tablespoons Flour
½ cup Dry red wine; such as madeira or burgundy
1 Head garlic; cloves peeled (12-16 cloves or 4Tbsp minced)
Salt and pepper
4 Sprigs fresh thyme
1 large Bay leaf
6 Juniper (or more) berries; crushed
2 tablespoons Chopped fresh parsley; for garish
½ cup Cooked barley; optional

Directions

CUT INTO BITE-SIZED CHUNKS

OTHER

REMOVABLE AROMATICS

TO SERVE

Make the BROTH or use canned enhanced with base or double strength bouillon.

CUT THE VEGETABLES into bite-sized chunks no bigger than 1-½ inches.

Start with the RUTABAGA and TURNIPS and BLANCH them (see tips). While they stand, prepare the other vegetables. Round vegetables can be quartered or sixth. Cut the long vegetables (carrots, leeks and celery) into 1-½" lengths. Mushrooms should be cut if larger than the vegetable chunks.

In a dutch oven, heat OIL over medium-high. Brown the CARROTS, POTATOES and MUSHROOMS, about 10 minutes. Add a little SALT and generous PEPPER.

Sprinkle with FLOUR and stir to coat and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes.

Then add WINE all at once, cook, stirring until asborbed (1 min). Add broth and bring to a boil stirring continuously. Add other stew ingredients through the JUNIPER (see tip). Return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender. (35 to 40 minutes stove top; or 2 to 2-¼ hours on setting 3 of a slow cooker.) Remove the aromatics. Adjust salt and pepper. Ladle stew into shallow bowls. Garnish with parsley.

Served immediately. Makes 8 cups for 4 servings: PER SERVING: 370 cals, 5g fat (12⅕%). Optional: serve over cooked barley: PER SERVING: 466 cals, 4.7 fat (9⅒%).

*SLOW COOKER: We used a slow cooker that has removable metal pot. The pot can be set directly on the burner to brown the vegetables.

*TO BLANCH: Peel and cut the rutabaga and the turnips into chunks.

Microwave the rutabaga in ¼ cup of water in a covered vented casserole on high for 1 to 1-½ mins. Add the turnip. Microwave on high for 1 to 1-½ mins. Let stand while you prepare the other vegetables. Or cook rutabaga for 1 minute in large bot of boiling water. Add turnips and cook for 1 minutes more and drain.

*JUNIPER BERRIES: smash the berries with the side of a scraper or chef's knife. If you do not instantly notice a faint smell of pine tar, smash some more. The oil of the berries will impart a subtle flavor resembling sloe-gin.

*Substitute white and purple pearl onions, 10 or 12 count each. We needed 16 garlic cloves from a drying white head of garlic.

*Review: Lots of trouble for the flavor. The whole thing should be made ahead on separate days and reheat. Reheated flavor is better than the fresh. If you don't want to make the broth, suggest you enhance double strength bouillon with lentils and tomato paste; the greening of the parsley. Thyme may be used dried. Next time, skip the rutabaga. Add a parsnip.

CREDITS: Positively Vegetarian Dec 97 by Deborah Madison for Eating Well, a montly magazine. Tested:patHanneman Dec 21, 1997. Sent to Eat-lf Recipe Archive.

Recipe by: Deborah Madison for Eating Well (1997:Dec) Posted to Digest eat-lf.v097.n323 by KitPATh <phannema@...> on Dec 22, 1997

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