Arizona Winter Vegetable Stew
I’m going to start this recipe off with a couple of disclaimers:
I am well-aware that this stew doesn’t contain the typical flavor profiles of the Southwest. It’s not meant to. I call this an Arizona stew because of the lightness – it doesn’t get super cold in Arizona very often, and sometimes the heaviness of a winter soup, even when it is chilly by Arizona standards, is just too heavy. Not only that, but Arizona’s growing season is from October – July, and we have amazing, extremely fresh produce available to us. Blending the vegetables, which is traditional in root vegetable soups, seems like a disservice to the privilege that is Arizona’s longer growing season.
I also know this recipe is going to frustrate you. First, it has a lot of moving parts. Yes, it takes more time to make – after all, each vegetable has its own preparation, and the broth is made from scratch. Would it be faster to buy vegetable stock, and cook all the vegetables in it to make this stew? Yes, it would be faster. Easier even. But, the result would be far less interesting to eat.
This soup is an experimentation in flavors and textures. The broth is sweet, and light. The carrot pieces are firm, but silky, and very acidic. The potatoes are crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and adds a smoky-spicy note, which is balanced by the sweetness of the broth and the acidity of the carrots. The turnips are there for texture – the slightly raw, sightly cooked texture is a welcome change from the softness of the carrots. The pumpkin seeds add crunch. The end result, when all the ingredients are combined, is something interesting, multi-dimensional, to eat.
Second, you will notice that I don’t include measurements for spices and seasonings. This is entirely purposeful, and although it may drive you nuts, the intention is educational. This week, I have been focusing on building interesting flavors – I also have to acknowledge that not everyone’s tastes are the same. Part of learning to cook isn’t always simply following a recipe, it’s adjusting the recipe to suit your own individual tastes. It is in that moment, where we take control of the flavors we are producing, that we are truly learning, and, more importantly, connecting with our food.
Taking the reins might be a little daunting. You might be nervous that you will screw up. Know that for the most part, everything is fixable. Add too much spice? Balance it with a little more honey in your broth. Too much honey? Add more pickled carrots, of more cayenne/paprika to the potatoes. Too much salt? Spoon some of the pickling liquid over the finished soup.
I added dairy-free yogurt to the lentils for a little more tang, and also some creaminess. You can also drizzle oil or dairy-free butter over the top of the soup for the same effect.
Want meat? Add roasted chicken, or beef for some great umami flavor. Either would work here, just add them, cooked, at the end, so that the flavors are distinct.
Use this as a template to play – there are so many possibilities here. Food is possibilities. This dish started as a daydream, while I was researching for the stock article. I started to think about vegetable broth, and how I could make it different. How I could manipulate the flavors, and bring as many flavors as possible to the dish. It started as a picture in my head, and a list of ingredients, and changed, and morphed into what you see above.
I’d love to hear how your experimentations turned out! Tag me (@eatfreefoodie) in your recipes, and use the hashtag #eatfreefoodie on Social Media. Enjoy!
Arizona Winter Vegetable Stew
Ingredients
Broth
- 6 orange carrots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 yellow onion, with skin
- 10 curry leaves, soaked in olive oil (optional)
- 1 stalk celery
- 3 mushroom stems (portobello or shiitake are best)
- 5 cloves, whole
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/8 cup salt (or to taste)
For the Stew
- 2 leeks cut in half, thinly slice
- 3 turnips peeled, cut into 1/2"-1" cubes
- 3 carrots (any color) sliced
- 3 Idaho potato (any non-waxy variety is fine) peeled, cut into 1/2"-1" cubes
- 1 lb lentils, dried either green or red is fine
- 4 tbsp pumpkin seeds salted
For the Carrot Pickle
- 1/3 c white wine vinegar
- 1/3 c white sugar
- 1/3 c kosher salt
- 10 cloves, whole
- 1 orange
Spices (all to taste)
- Sumac
- Smoked Paprika
- Cayenne Pepper
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Non-Dairy Butter (Earth Balance) OPTIONAL
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
For the Broth
- Soak curry leaves in olive oil for 1 hour, or until rehydrated and tender.
- Fill stock pot 2/3 full of water. Salt until water tastes, well, lightly salty.
- Chop carrots into 2-3" chunks. Add carrots, onion, mushroom stems, garlic, celery, cloves, and curry leaves to water.
- Bring water and vegetables to a boil, and then lower temperature and simmer for 1-2 hours, or until desired flavor intensity is reached. Broth should have a noticeable orange color and strong carrot flavor. Add additional salt at end of cooking process if needed.
- Strain broth.
- Add 1/3 cup honey, stir to combine. You may need more or less honey, depending on your taste. You should only able to lightly taste the honey - it's main task is to sweeten the broth, and balance the spice that is coming.
For the Leeks
- Cook leeks as directed on package. Salt water to taste. Drain leeks, and season with salt (if needed) and sumac to taste (flavor should be pronounced, but you should still be able to taste the leeks). Set aside.
For the Turnips
- Peel the turnips, and cut into 1/2"-1" cubes.
- Fill a saucepan 2/3 full of water. Salt to taste (until water is slightly salty). Boil turnips until just slightly soft (3-5 minutes) - they should still be firm and slightly crunchy to eat.
- Sprinkle salt (if needed), and very lightly dust with sumac. Set aside.
For the Carrots
- Peel and slice carrots in 1/3" slices.
- In a saucepan, place vinegar, sugar, salt, and cloves.
- Zest 1 orange. Add zest to saucepan. Juice orange. Add juice and orange halves into saucepan. Cover with water. Heat mixture, and stir until sugar and salt are dissolved.
- Place carrot slices in mixture, and cook for 15 minutes, or until flavor is imparted into carrots.
- Drain carrots, and set aside.
For the Leeks
- Clean leeks. Slice in half length-wise, and slice into thin slices.
- Coat with extra virgin olive oil, and season with salt.
- Roast in 350 degree oven for 20-40 minutes, or until leeks are slightly brown. Season with additional salt if needed. Set aside.
For the Potatoes
- Peel potatoes, and cut into 1/2"-1" cubes.
- Coat cubes in extra virgin olive oil, and season with salt. Dust potatoes with smoked paprika and cayenne pepper to taste (ratio and amount will depend on how spicy you want the potatoes) - taste your mix before adding to potatoes.
- Roast potatoes in oven at 350 degrees until potatoes are cooked and slightly brown on the outside. Set aside
Assemble the Soup
- Add each ingredient to the broth - you can add less of a particular ingredient to manipulate the flavors if you want. For example, if you don't like pickled things, you don't have to add all of the carrots. Want less carbs? Add less of the potatoes (add more lentils and turnips).
- Taste and salt final stew, if needed. If additional richness is desired, stir in non-dairy butter or olive oil to taste. Right before serving, top with salted pumpkin seeds for texture.
