Vegetarian Winter Ragout
Thick, Hearty and God-Damn Delicious
So I just finished making (and eating) what is probably the very best stew I’ve ever had in my life. I made this once last winter for an ice fishing trip, and after a year I was wondering if maybe my fond memories of the unbelievably delicious, hearty flavor were a figment of fading memories and associations with the fun times I enjoyed my last batch in. So I remade this recipe (which happens to be inspired by one of my favorite cookbook writers, Cresent DragonWagon) and the truth of the matter is that it really is as God-damn good as I remembered it being.
It’s not so easy to make a good hearty vegetarian stew, because typically the thick, rich liquid is made by the simmering of some sort of beef or fill-in-your-flesh-of choice and pulling out the juices. I’ll save you the details of the recipe, but the base of this one is made with veggie stock, tamari and red wine, with a little plum vinegar. Add some saitan and root vegetables an some time on the stove (and some secret ingredients!) and you’ve got yourself a dish that will warm up cold show-shoveling or car-window-scraping minnesotan.
The icing on the cake is that the wine that’s leftover from the recipe is naturally a perfect pairing for the finished dish