What will be immediately evident from the first of these two delightful bowls, is that the animals of the world are no longer safe, as youngest son, after a month of testing out the meat-free life, has opted not to be a complete vegetarian, but rather a flexitarian. This, predictably enough, was a huge relief to his dad, whose obviously extensive knowledge of nutrition and health was leading him to fear that he would, quite frankly waste away, if no longer served meat for dinner. If his son's trial vegetarianism had gone on much longer, he would probably have been found nibbling on pockets full of beef jerky and compulsively gnawing on bacon rashers at work. Fortunately world order has been restored, and his carnivorous tendencies can now be satisfied, at least once a week or thereabouts. As for youngest son, he had his first post-vegetarian burger experience, and he is a happy boy indeed. No regrets there, and apologies to all the cows.
The second recipe below is completely devoid of meat content, however, and nonetheless satisfying and deliciously warming. What's more, it is one of those "how can this possibly be this simple, and end up so tasty" recipes. I am always suspicious of short lists of ingredients, but I like nothing more to have my suspicions erased by some delicious results. So get spooning (minds out of the gutter people, it isn't Valentine's Day yet...)
Beef, Root Vegetable and Stout Stew with Farro
Serves 6
canola oil
1.5 lbs lean beef stew meat in 1" cubes
salt and pepper
2 onions, chopped
1 TBSP tomato paste
4 cups beef broth
1 12oz bottle of stout (I used Lagunitas Imperial - yum!)
1 TBSP raisins
1 1/2 cups rutabaga, peeled and chopped in 3/4" cubes
1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped into 3/4" pieces
1 1/2 cups parsnips, peeled and chopped into 3/4" pieces
cornstarch to thicken
2 cups cooked farro to serve
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley to serve
1. Heat some canola oil in a large frying pan, season the beef and saute the meat until browned over medium/high heat. Transfer to the slow cooker.
2. Add the onions to the pan, with some more oil, if necessary, and turn the heat down to medium to ensure they don't burn. Once they are tender, stir in the tomato paste, then the broth and stout. Bring the mixture to the boil, scraping all the lovely beefy bits off the bottom of the pan.
3. Pour the mixture over the beef in the slow cooker and stir in the chopped vegetables. Stir in the raisins, and around 1/2 tsp of salt and the same of ground black pepper.
4. Cook on LOW for 8 hours, or HIGH for 4 hours, by which time the vegetables should be tender.
5. Remove some of the liquid from the slow cooker and mix in about 3 TBSP of cornstarch to make a
runny paste. Stir this back into the slow cooker. Taste the broth at this point, and if it needs more salt and pepper, add it now.
6. Cook for a further 15 minutes or so until the liquid has thickened to a nice soupy consistency.
7. Serve by the ladleful in bowls, over a mound of cooked farro (or pearled barley would also be nice here), with parsley sprinkled on top.
Delicata Squash Soup
Serves 4
Adapted from carolinescooking.com
3 delicata squash, halved, seeds removed (skin left on)
2-3 cups vegetable stock/broth
canola oil
1/2 can chick peas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
2. Spray a large roasting tin with canola oil spray and place the delicata squash halves, skin-side up on the tray.
3. Roast the squash in the oven for 30 minutes, by which point they should be tender. You can test the flesh at this point, and if it isn't soft, then roast it for another 5 minutes. It is very hard to overcook them :-)
4. Put the squash, skin and all, into a food processor and add 2 cups of vegetable stock, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper. You may need to do this in two stages, depending on the size of your processor. Process for a long time, until the mixture is completely smooth. If the mixture is thicker than you want for your soup, simply add a bit more stock.
5. Put the completed soup in a saucepan, ready to heat up when you are ready to serve. Check the seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if needed.
6. In the meantime, heat some canola oil in a saute pan and saute the onions for at least 10 minutes, until they are soft, and starting to caramelize. Add the chick peas/garbanzo beans and warm them through. Stir in the curry powder.
7. Serve the steaming hot soup in bowls, topped with a mound of the chick pea/onion mixture.
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