Preparing Winter Vegetable Stew, on Good Things Utah
SLCC Culinary Arts student David Chen (l-r), host Reagan Leadbetter and Chef Franco Aloia
Staff at Ch. 4's Good Things Utah raved as the savory smells of stew filled the air in the studio for a segment with Salt Lake Community College
Culinary Institute's Chef Franco Aloia and student David Chen. Aloia and host Reagan Leadbetter discussed the ingredients for a recipe called Winter Vegetable Stew while Chen demonstrated deft knife skills while slicing up the veggies. Below is the recipe and images from the appearance on Ch. 4, along with a few cooking tips. Click
here for a link to the full segment on Good Things Utah.


Winter Vegetable Stew
YIELD:
12 Servings/3 Quarts
2 quarts Vegetable broth
½ pound Parsnip, oblique cut
½ pound Rutabaga, medium dice
½ pound Turnip, medium dice
½ pound Carrot, oblique cut
1 Butternut Squash, large
dice
1 Purple Cauliflower, ¾”
florets
1 pound Red Potatoes, large dice
½ pound Yellow Onion, small dice
6 cloves Garlic, minced
14 ounces Tomatoes, whole, peeled canned
3 sprigs Thyme
2 Bay Leaves
1 Tablespoon Paprika
8 ounces Crème Fraiche
3 ounces Vegetable Oil
½ ounce Chives, chopped
Salt and Pepper, to
taste
Instructions
1. Wash
vegetables in fresh cold water and set aside to air dry.
2. Peel
carrots, parsnips and butternut squash. Reserve.
3. Cut
vegetables: butternut squash (large dice ¾”), red potatoes (large dice ¾”),
rutabaga (medium dice ½”), turnip (medium dice ½”), carrot (oblique), parsnip
(oblique), purple cauliflower (¾” florets), yellow onion (small dice ½”),
garlic (mince), tomatoes (chop into small pieces) & chives (slice thin *set
aside for garnish).
4. In
large (4 quart) stock pot over medium heat add oil and sauté onion until it is
translucent then add garlic.
5. Immediately
add tomatoes and stir in remaining vegetables.
6. Season
with salt and pepper and add vegetable broth (room temperature) just until
vegetables in pot are covered with liquid while remaining on medium heat.
7. Stir
in paprika, add aromatics (thyme and bay leaf) and cover with lid while
remaining on medium heat.
8. Cook
until liquid in pot comes up to a gentle simmer.
9. Skim
foam after 10 minutes of gentle simmering.
10. Continue to cook for another 30-40
minutes until vegetables are fork tender aka “al dente”.
11. Pull out thyme sprigs and bay leaves
then, taste stew and adjust seasoning if needed.
12. Portion into bowl. Garnish with crème
fraiche and chives.
13. Serve steaming hot with sourdough baguette.
Tip #1: Knife skills
and safety
While using a chef’s knife, with your cutting hand, grip the
knife by choking up on the handle, keeping the thumb and index finger gripping the
top of the blade. You will be using the weight of the knife, its sharpness and
your arm strength to make your cuts. With your helping hand, curl your
fingertips under, bunch them together and use your knuckles to grip the
ingredient for the safest method. Make your cuts using a rocking motion that
starts toward the tip of the blade and works backward, raising up each time to
start a new cut. If you are chopping, know that there are several methods
depending on the ingredient you’re preparing.
*For amputees or those with use of only one hand, look for
specialized cutting boards that hold the items you’re cutting while gripping
the knife with your remaining or viable hand.
Tip #2: Your goal:
same-sized cuts
Whether it’s meat or a dense fruit or vegetable, you will
want to try and make all of your cutting produce pieces that are the same size.
It’s important because you need all of those cuts cooked evenly and thoroughly.
If you’re off a little, that’s okay. But cutting up ingredients that are
noticeably quite different can lead to undercooked or overcooked pieces.
Tip #3: Soup? Stew? What
should I call it?
Soups are served hot or cold and can be clear or
thick and can be based from bouillon (broth with ingredients) or consume, which
contains only clarified broth. Other soups can contain a thickening agent,
labeling them a puree, bisque, cream or veloutes. So, when it comes to stew, it
is basically a soup, but with a lot less liquid or broth, and it tends to be an
ingredient-intensive soup with a lot more chunks and bites. And if you want to
throw chowder into the semantic mix, then know that it’s considered a stew that
is thickened with cream or milk. Clear as cream, right?
