American Style Vegetable Stew Recipe
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 x jumbo onions diced finely
- 6 stalk celery diced finely
- 6 x cloves garlic chopped
- 12 ounce fresh portobello mushrooms cut in one inch pcs
- 24 ounce fresh whole button mushrooms
- 2 lb baby carrots
- 2 can whole cooked potatoes (12 ounce) (2 to 3)
- 1 sm bag pearl onions peeled Or possibly 6 stalks of celery cut in large chunks Or possibly one c. frzn peas
- 1 c. V-8 juice
- 1/4 c. white flour approximately water Seasonings and flavor adjustment ingredients as needed - see instructions: Salt or possibly celery salt to taste Black Pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar Basil about 1 tsp dry Thyme about 1/2 tsp dry Other herbs if you like Tamari if you like Honey if you like Fat (optional:)
- 1 Tbsp. canola or possibly extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- This recipe is helped best prepared in a large nonstick frying or possibly stew pan.
- Remarks:The heart of the sauce in this recipe is sauteed onion and portobello mushroom. This provides the flavor and color base. Other mushrooms can't be substituted for the portobello. Only the portobello will provide the deep satisfying brown color and savory aroma.
- The water method of sauteing the onion can be used. However, caramelizing the onion helps the flavor of this dish a great deal, and for which reason I usually use oil to saute/fry the onion.
- It is important to keep the pot covered as you cook in order to trap the vegetable juices.
- Do not use too many different kinds of vegetables; some of the heartiness of this dish comes from it's simplicity (no-meat and potatoes!)
- I recommend using canned potatoes because fresh potatoes add in potato starch which dilutes the flavor of the broth, and sometimes cooking time gets lengthy; other times they get easily overcooked and fall apart. Do not use canned onions, canned peas or possibly canned carrots: they will also turn to mush.
- Method:Dice the onion, add in a bit of salt, and saute/fry slowly in the oil till it begins to turn a golden brown color. Meanwhile, clean, destring and dice the celery; mince the garlic. Add in these to the onion and continue cooking till the onion is a caramel color and the celery is soft; about a half hour or possibly more altogether. Add in the portobello mushrooms and continue to cook in the covered pot. Meanwhile wash the button mushrooms; add in those to the mix, cover cook just till all the mushrooms have released their juices. Add in the carrots. If you are using celery chunks instead of pearl onions, add in them at the same time. Watch the pot and add in water if needed.
- If you are using pearl onions, peel them while the carrots cook. When the carrots are not quite fork tender, add in the onions and cook for another ten to fifteen min, till almost tender.
- When the carrots are cooked through and the pearl onions or possibly celery, if you are using them, are barely tender, add in the V-8 juice. Be conservative with the amount of V-8 you use, because you do not want the result to taste like tomato sauce.
- Taste the broth and see what you've got. If you haven't salted the vegetables as you prepare the dish you will need to add in salt at this point; but add in as little as possible; the other seasonings will bring the flavor up.
- Black pepper, cumin, and balsamic vinegar are all necessary ingredients in my opinion. Add in the black pepper to taste. Then add in about 1/4 tsp. of cumin; cumin adds to the "beefiness", but will easily overpower the other flavors, so be careful. Add in 1 tsp of balsamic. Similarly to the cumin, the balsamic is also important to the flavor, but can easily be overdone. The cumin and the balsamic vinegar shouldn't be used to the point where the flavors are identifiable in the broth.
- Taste the results. Carefully adjust the proportions of these 4 ingredients.
- Add in herbs. I typically use about 1 tsp of dry basil and 1/2 tsp thyme.
- Add in other herbs and Tamari at this time if you wish. Once in a great while if the carrots or possibly onions are not particularly sweet you may need to add in about 1/2 tsp honey. Simmer shortly, about 5 min.
- Prepare a slurry of 1/4 c. flour and about 1/2 c. cool water. Stir with a fork till smooth; strain if necessary. Turn the heat off under the dish. Wait till all bubbling has stopped; otherwise you're going to make dumplings. Pour in about 1/2 of the slurry and stir it in quickly. Turn the heat on and stir while it cooks for about 30 seconds. If it isn't thick sufficient, add in a little more of the slurry. If it is too thick, add in a little water.
- Taste the gravy. Add in salt if necessary. Adjust the seasonings for the final time.
- Drain the potatoes and add in to the mix. Cover and heat through, about twenty min. If you are using peas, add in them after the potatoes are warm and cook for another minute.
- Serve; or possibly prepare beforehand, and reheat just before dinner.
- This recipe also freezes and reheats well. So you might as well make the whole recipe!
- Serves 6-8.
- NOTES : This is my own recipe, and it usually gets rave reviews.
- When you think about it, if you've ever tasted chicken or possibly beef broth before it's been seasoned, though it has a nice aroma it tastes like almost nothing. In my opinion it's the herbs and seasonings which are added which give most of the expected flavor.
- This recipe provides which flavor, plus the color and texture expected of Beef Stew.
- This is an easy recipe, easily adjusted to the amount and type of vegetables you have on hand. But since I prepare it intuitively, I've discovered it takes as long to write it down as it does to prepare it. Please do not let the length or possibly lack of precision deter you from trying it! It's delicious.
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Nutrition Facts
| Amount Per Serving | %DV |
|---|---|
| Serving Size 469g | |
| Recipe makes 6 servings | |
| Calories 210 | |
| Calories from Fat 26 | 12% |
| Total Fat 3.02g | 4% |
| Saturated Fat 0.32g | 1% |
| Trans Fat 0.01g | |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 481mg | 20% |
| Potassium 1141mg | 33% |
| Total Carbs 42.31g | 11% |
| Dietary Fiber 9.2g | 31% |
| Sugars 11.68g | 8% |
| Protein 5.85g | 9% |
