It’s a rainy almost Spring day that feels chilly and calls for a warming stew. I tried (probably too hard) to push myself and do a dark photograph. I went through my props and pulled all of my black and gray plates and bowls. Organizing feels good.
This stew can be wrapped in a tortilla, used to garnish tacos and breakfast burritos, as a topping for rice or farro, or served with homemade cornbread.
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 celery stalks. coarsely chopped
- 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 sweet potato, peeled a cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano, Mexican oregano if possible
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne. optional
- ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
- 4 cups cooked black beans or cans, drained
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- Sour cream
- Sliced scallions
- Salsa
- Pumpkin seeds
- Cilantro
- Place oil and onion in a medium-size pot over medium-low heat and cook for 10 minutes until softened.
- Add celery and carrots and raise heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly for 15 minutes until the vegetables are beginning to caramelize.
- Add tomato paste and keep stirring until the oil separates and the paste is browning.
- Add sweet potato, salt, pepper, oregano, coriander, cumin, cayenne, sweet paprika, beans, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
- Serve with garnishes.
Lewis planted 6 blueberries (actually I planted 1). The bed was long abandoned when the deer trampled the flimsy cage we made 20 years ago. A single blueberry still stands but it is a scrawny stick for all of its efforts for survival.
The long-awaited and much anticipated cookbook (It’s going to be in bold from now on – hehe) is progressing. I am presently down the rabbit hole of dried beans, peas, lentils, and pulses due to my friend Riley requesting a recipe for cooking lentils. Focusing and finishing are qualities I wish to attain. At present I am all over the place writing, photographing, making videos, and designing the whole project (almost done!) that it is difficult to finish anything. Next week I’ll be sending out the first chapters to testers. If you’d like to test, let me know. sheila@thekitchengardencookingschool.com
The rain will end, the weather will warm, and we can begin to think of balmier days. Thoughts of the farmer’s markets in May are keeping me optimistic. And, there will be blueberries in 3 years.
XO
Sheila
PS The bowl and other props were placed on the background board for the top photograph. Lewis came into the kitchen and started picking each piece up to examine and ascertain its point of origin, thereby messing up the composition so carefully considered. Oh, Lewis. Ah, lockdown with Lewis.
