Growing at the Speed of Life - A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden

BRUNSWICK STEW

To my taste, the very early part of North Amer­
ican culinary history (fur trappers’ food!) just
isn’t correct without either lima or fava beans.
While this dish may traditionally be prepared
with chicken, it’s a grand kitchen-garden feast
when you substitute butternut squash.
SERVES 6

1 pound butternut squash, cut into 6 segments
1 teaspoon nonaromatic olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large sweet onion, cut into 1-inch dice (yield
2 cups)
3 stalks celery, cut into ¼-inch slices (yield
1½ cups)
1 teaspoon diced canned chipotle or
½ teaspoon ground smoked jalapeño chile
1 red bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch slices
2 cups skinned, seeded, and chopped
tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
(see page 288)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 cup fresh baby fava beans or lima beans
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 tablespoon arrowroot mixed with
2 tablespoons stock or water (slurry)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Spray the butternut squash pieces with cook­
ing spray, season with salt and black pepper,

and  roast in a small ovenproof baking dish

for  40 minutes, until a thin knife comes out

clean.

Heat ½ teaspoon of the oil in a 10½-inch

chef ’s pan over medium-high. Sauté the onions

3 minutes or until they start to turn translu­

cent. Add the celery, chipotle, and red bell pep­

per, and cook 3 more minutes. Remove to a

plate, and without washing the pan, add the

remaining ½ teaspoon oil and heat.

Pour in the tomatoes and sauté for 3 min­

utes to just brown, then add the stock and

Worcestershire sauce. Add the cooked vegeta­

bles and the cayenne. Bring to a boil, reduce

the heat, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Add

the beans and corn, and cook 12 minutes more

or until the beans are tender. Stir in the slurry

and heat to thicken. Spoon over the butternut

squash pieces. Sprinkle with the parsley and

basil and serve.

Per serving : 155 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 34 g

carbohydrate, 5 g protein, 8 g dietary fi ber, 141  mg

sodium. Exchanges: 1 Starch, 4 Vegetable

FAVA BEAN SOUP



WITH CARROTS

I’ve always enjoyed fava beans, but they must

be harvested early to save all the trouble of

removing the tough inner bean skins. Paired

with very new carrots, this is a perfect exam­

ple of a FABIS (fresh and best in season) dish

146 • GROWING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE