Leek and Potato Cassoulet

I don't usually cook things with unfamiliar words in the name - I'm just not a confit or crudité kind of girl - but I made an exception because this cassoulet sounded so, so yummy.  A cassoulet, for those not in the know, is traditionally a meat and bean stew.  This one, from Veganomicon, is made with potatoes, leeks, kale, white beans, and seitan, with a homemade biscuit crust baked right on top.  It's like a supercomfort food: a stew and pot pie all in one.

This is one of the very few dishes I make that really needs to be made fresh and eaten immediately.  You can eat it a day or two after, but the biscuitty top does get a bit soggy and it's not quite as outrageously tasty.

I made mine in these adorable little single-serving casserole dishes from Le Creuset, but if you don't feel like dropping $20 a piece for your cookware, you can make this in an oven-safe cast iron pan or a regular casserole dish.

Also, this recipe calls for boiling the potatoes.  That works fine and is probably the quickest method, but for extra flavor, try roasting them.

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Leek and Potato Cassoulet

Adapted from Leek and Bean Cassoulet with Biscuits, in Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

Ingredients

For the stew:

• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2" pieces
• olive oil, for sautéing
• 2 leeks, thinly sliced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2-3 carrots, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 c. finely chopped kale (stems removed)
• 1 heaping tbsp. fresh thyme (or substitute 1 tsp. dried)
• 6 c. vegetable broth
• 3 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1-1/2 c. chopped seitan (bite-sized pieces)
• 1-1/2 c. white beans
• salt and pepper, to taste

For the biscuits:

• 3/4 c. plain nondairy milk
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 c. chilled vegetable shortening (do your body a solid and get non-hydrogenated)

Directions

1. Boil the diced potatoes in salted water, until just tender enough to be pierced with a fork.  Don't overcook them, and drain them immediately.
2. While your potatoes are cooking, chop the remaining veggies.  In a large soup pot (or a really big cast-iron one if you have one and want to bake the stew in that), heat some olive oil over medium-high heat, and sauté the leeks, onions, and carrots until just browned.  Be careful not to burn them.
3. Add the garlic, kale, thyme, and a bit of salt and pepper, and sauté a minute more.
4. By this point, your potatoes should be done.  Add them to the pot.
5. Mix the cornstarch into a cup or two of the vegetable broth.  Pour it into the pot, along with the remaining vegetable broth.
6. Bring the stew to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.  Turn on your oven now, and preheat to 425°F.
7. While the stew is simmering, heat oil over high heat in a sauté pan, and sauté the chopped seitan until nice and browned.  Add the browned seitan and the white beans to the stew toward the end of its simmering time.
8. Also while the stew is simmering, mix together your biscuits.  Stir the apple cider vinegar into your nondairy milk, and set it aside to curdle for about 5 minutes.
9. In a mixing bowl, mix 1-1/2 c. of the flour with the baking powder and salt.
10. Add the chilled shortening to the flour mixture in slivers, and crumble it in with your fingers.  Don't worry about getting it perfectly smooth; it should be clumpy.
11. Drizzle in the milk mixture, and stir the dough together with a fork.  Don't overmix it.  Wash your hands, then lightly flour them and knead the dough a few times in the bowl.  Add more flour a little at a time until it's not quite so sticky.
12. The stew should definitely be done simmering by now, so transfer it into your baking dish(es) - either the big cast iron skillet, a casserole dish, or individual casseroles.  Pull off palm-sized balls of dough, roll them into balls, then flatten them and place them on top of the stew.  You don't need to cover the whole thing.
13. If the stew nearly fills your baking dish, put the dish on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any spillover.  Bake the stew at 425°F for 15 minutes or so, until the biscuit topping is cooked through and browned on top.  Try not to drool as you watch this bake.

Serve hot out of the oven.  Serves about 8.

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If this doesn't just make your tummy ridiculously happy, there's something wrong with you.

Happy eating.

Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup

This soup is ridiculous.  So delicious, and so healthy... such a combination should be illegal.  You could eat your fill of this tastiness, and not feel a bit of guilt.  Except maybe that there's none left for anyone else in your family to eat.

This is also a great way to eat kale, if you're the type to be a little weary of dark, leafy greens.  In case you're new to the nutrition train, dark green vegetables are some of the most nutritionally-dense foods you can consume.  They have tons of vitamins A and C, lots of iron, and more calcium per serving than cow's milk (without all the nasty lactose, hormones, antibiotics, pus, and cruelty!).  I think the only reason "Got Greens?" never caught on is the fact that they make a far less attractive mustache.

But I digress!  My point is that kale is incredibly healthful, but can be a little bitter and tough compared to other greens like spinach, so it tends to scare people off.  Soup is the solution.  Not only does simmering get the kale nice and tender, and all those savory roasted veggies mellow out the flavor oh-so-nice, but since the broth is part of the meal, all the nutrients that would leach out during cooking still get eaten in the soup!  It's win-win.  Or win-win-win.  Whatever - it's kale ftw, peeps.

Roasting the veggies is key here, folks.  It caramelizes and sweetens, and is absolutely necessary for the flavor of this soup.  I didn't roast the garlic because I use that already-prepared kind in a jar, and out of the peel, it would burn in the oven; but if you have a bulb of fresh garlic cloves, you should roast it by cutting off the top of the whole bulb, drizzling it in a little olive oil, and setting it upright on the pan with the rest of the veggies.  Check it each time you stir the pan of vegetables, because you may need to remove it from the oven before the rest of the vegetables to avoid burning.  Then you squeeze out the meaty parts, finely mince them, and use as directed.

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Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup

Adapted from SimplyRecipes.com 

Ingredients

• 3 medium carrots, quartered lengthwise
• 2 large tomatoes, quartered
• 1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut lengthwise into 1/2" thick slices (I have used sweet potatoes instead of the squash with good results; pretty much any sweet vegetable would work)
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 8 cups vegan chicken broth (or 4 bouillon cubes, like No-Chicken)
• 1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and chopped
• 1-1/2 c. or 1 can white beans (like Great Northern or cannellini)
• 1 tbsp. ground thyme (or use fresh if you have it, about 3 large sprigs)
• 1 bay leaf
• couple tbsp. olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.  Lightly oil a baking sheet, and place the carrots, squash, tomatoes, and onion in a single layer on the pan, and drizzle with a little more olive oil.  Lightly season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
2. Roast vegetables until they are browned and tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
3. Chop the roasted squash and carrot strips into bite-sized pieces, and set aside.
4. Toss the tomatoes and onions into a food processor or blender, and add the garlic.  Purée until almost smooth.
5. If using bouillon, dissolve in 8 cups of water.  Pour a little of the broth onto the roasting pan, and scrape off any caramelized brown bits.  Pour all the broth into a large soup pot.
6. Add the kale, thyme, and bay leaf to the pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered about 30 minutes, until kale is tender.
7. Add carrots, squash, and beans to the pot.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes to blend the flavors.  I usually add a little more broth or water at this point if the soup is too chunky.
8. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.

Makes 6-8 servings of soup.  Delicious when served right away, but tastes even better after it's been in the fridge for a day.

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I love to serve this soup with a hearty bread or roll.  It keeps beautifully in the fridge for up to a week.

Happy eating.