Warming Winter Stew

The base of any delicious stew is a good vegetable or meat stock. Before any other variations are suggested, learn how to make a healthy and flavour packed vegetable stock using the recipe provided below. This recipe makes 1.5 litres of vegetable stock. To store any unused stock, pour the leftovers into an ice-cube tray and freeze into easily useable cubes.

Ingredients -

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 stalks celery
• 5 green onion stalks
• 2 large carrots
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 sprigs fresh parsley and fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 litres water

Method -

• Wash and chop the onion, celery, green onions and carrots into 1" chunks.
• Heat the oil in a deep pot and add the vegetables along with the garlic, fresh herbs and bay leaves. You can also add 5-7 peppercorns at this point.
• Fry for 5 minutes on a high heat to release the flavours of the vegetables.
• Pour the water into the pot along with the salt. Bring to a rolling boil before reducing the heat to a simmer.
• Simmer for 30 minutes before straining to discard the vegetables.
• The stock is ready to use.

BASIC WINTER STEW

Ingredients -

• 1 large onion, chopped into quarters
• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and bruised lightly
• 2 leeks, washed and cut into 1" rounds
• 1 zuchinni, quartered lengthwise and cut into slices
• 2 tomatoes chopped into 1" chunks
• 1/2 head of cabbage, cut into 1" wedges
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
• Fresh herbs (2 sprigs each) – thyme, oregano and rosemary
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
• 1 litre vegetable stock

Method -

• Heat a tablespoon of neutral oil and add the garlic and fresh herbs.
• Cook for a minute and add the onions, leeks and carrots. Fry on high heat for 5 minutes before adding in the rest of the vegetables. Fry for 2 more minutes before adding in the stock.
• Bring to a boil before reducing the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and boil for 20 minutes.
• Check the potatoes with a knife. When cooked, season the stew with salt and pepper.
• If you choose to, thicken the stew with 2 tablespoons of flour mixed with water to form a paste.
• Cook the flour into the stew for 5 minutes and remove from the heat.