Autumn Root Stew
My mother taught me this recipe when I was young and it's always been one of our comfort foods, the soup we would opt for on a cold winter day. Over the years the recipe changed but the essential recipe is here, and this means you can fiddle with the ingredients as well so don't be afraid to try different root vegetables.
Heat your oven to 350°F, and meanwhile mix your carrots, celery root, and potatoes in a bowl with some salt and pepper and enough oil to lightly coat. Spread the vegetables across a baking pan and roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes - you're looking for the release and evaporation of extra liquid, a bit of shriveling and slight browning but no burning.
In the meantime, set a nicely sized soup pot on medium heat and add your 2 tablespoons of oil. Sauté your onions for about a minute and then add your garlic, oregano, basil, and rosemary, giving it another one or two minutes for the aromatics to hit your senses.Raise the heat a little bit and add your hamburger, breaking it up while allowing it to brown. While you let the meat brown, pour your tomatoes into a medium sized bowl and start squeezing, crushing and tearing the tomatoes into chunks.Using some paper towels or a tea towel, blot the hamburger mixture to soak up any extra fat.
Add the wine and bay leaves, and set the heat to that the liquid boils rapidly. After about four minutes, add your tomatoes and stir it around, adjusting the heat for a gentle bubble. Once the vegetables are done, add them to the pot and stir to mix. Now add just enough beef stock to raise the liquid to submerge the vegetables. Add the parmesan rind, give one more good stir, then place the soup pot into the oven at the same heat as the roast. Let it cook for a good solid 30 minutes to an hour.
Bring it back to the stove at low heat and taste test it, adding salt or pepper as you feel is necessary. At this time, if you see them, you can remove the bay leaves and what is left of the parmesan rind.Ladle into bowls and serve with some warm crusty bread. This will make 6 to 8 servings.
- 1 lb. lean hamburger meat (90%)
- 1 14.5 oz. can peeled tomatoes
- 1 cup carrots, cut in 1/2-inch rounds
- 1 to 2 cups yukon or red potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 celery root, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
or 2 parsnips cut in roughly the same size - 1 large onion, sliced with the grain but not thinly
- 1 tbs. garlic, minced
- 2 tbs. olive oil, plus extra for coating
- Salt & Pepper
- 1/2 tbs. dried oregano
- 1/2 tbs. dried basil
- 1 tsp. dried rosemary
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1/3 cup red wine (merlot or cabernet sauvignon)
- 1 qt. beef stock, or broth
- 1 piece of parmesan rind (2-inch by 2-inch) or a 2-inch cube of parmesan
Heat your oven to 350°F, and meanwhile mix your carrots, celery root, and potatoes in a bowl with some salt and pepper and enough oil to lightly coat. Spread the vegetables across a baking pan and roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes - you're looking for the release and evaporation of extra liquid, a bit of shriveling and slight browning but no burning.
In the meantime, set a nicely sized soup pot on medium heat and add your 2 tablespoons of oil. Sauté your onions for about a minute and then add your garlic, oregano, basil, and rosemary, giving it another one or two minutes for the aromatics to hit your senses.Raise the heat a little bit and add your hamburger, breaking it up while allowing it to brown. While you let the meat brown, pour your tomatoes into a medium sized bowl and start squeezing, crushing and tearing the tomatoes into chunks.Using some paper towels or a tea towel, blot the hamburger mixture to soak up any extra fat.
Add the wine and bay leaves, and set the heat to that the liquid boils rapidly. After about four minutes, add your tomatoes and stir it around, adjusting the heat for a gentle bubble. Once the vegetables are done, add them to the pot and stir to mix. Now add just enough beef stock to raise the liquid to submerge the vegetables. Add the parmesan rind, give one more good stir, then place the soup pot into the oven at the same heat as the roast. Let it cook for a good solid 30 minutes to an hour.
Bring it back to the stove at low heat and taste test it, adding salt or pepper as you feel is necessary. At this time, if you see them, you can remove the bay leaves and what is left of the parmesan rind.Ladle into bowls and serve with some warm crusty bread. This will make 6 to 8 servings.