I am leaving for Rancho La Puerta to work as the visiting chef at their cooking school, La Cocina Que Canta, in just a few days. Don’t have a pity party for me as the place is just amazing. I am also doing 2 nutrition talks this time. (Maybe you’ll think about joining me there on my next visit the week of October 22nd.)
In anticipation of my trip, I like to clean out my refrigerator for my house sitter. It’s also the time of year that it makes sense to do so, when all the spring vegetables come on the scene: English peas, bok choy, spring onions, green garlic, asparagus and much more. So, out with the old (and older) and in with the new.
Making this stew was a one-time shot. Now I must wait again until the fall when celery root and parsnips are back in season. I am a little ticked off at myself for embarking on this project without thinking ahead about adding white beans. In hindsight (a great teacher), I would not add lentils to this stew. They make it look untidy. White beans such as cannellini or the amazing Marcella beans from Rancho Gordo would have improved both the flavor and visual appeal. See the note below if you decide to use soaked white beans (1/2 cup dry that you soak).
With my trip coming up, this dish will be my staple until I board the plane. My tummy will have to get over how it looks as it tastes just fine with the celery undertones an sweetness of the parsnip. I like to serve it on top of cooked quinoa or red (or other) rice and cooked kale. My general rule is to punch up the number of servings of vegetables whenever possible.
I can see that this stew can be easily tweaked to accommodate any winter vegetables such as daikon or turnip, in addition to the celery root and parsnip.
NOTE, if using white beans, use soaked beans: measure ½ cup dry and soak overnight or for 8 to 12 hours, cook this a bit differently than the recipe below: dry sauté the leek and garlic for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the beans, liquid (use only 1 cup) and herbs, and bring to high pressure for 5 minutes. Let the pressure come down naturally. Add the other vegetables, except peas, and bring back to high pressure for 3 minutes. Let the pressure come down naturally again.)
Pressure Cooker White Winter Vegetable and Spring “Clean Out” Stew
My vegetable drawer gets full and disorganized so I attempt a big clean out once or twice a season. What I love about winter vegetables is their ability to last a long time. So in this spring clean out, I found 2 celery root (celeriac) and a few parsnips which I combined with leek and green garlic, a little bit of carrot for color, French green lentils and dried herbs (herbs de Provence would be perfect here 1 to 3 teaspoons). If I had remembered to soak some white beans (or had some already soaked and frozen white beans), I would have used those as my first choice. However, after prepping all the vegetables, the white beans did not appear. To add flavor and a pop of color, I’ve added peas at the end of cooking, which can be fresh or frozen, along with chopped Italian parsley. A squeeze of lemon juice and dash of zest or a drizzle of vinegar will enhance this dish, if desired.Ingredients
- 1 cup sliced leek
- ¼ cup sliced green garlic or 3 cloves regular garlic minced
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 3 cups diced celery root
- 1 cup diced parsnip
- ½ cup French green lentils
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 to 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 1/2 cups broth
- ½ cup fresh or frozen peas
- Chopped Italian parsley for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Lemon zest and juice or vinegar
Instructions
5 minutes at pressure with natural release; 1 to 2 minutes with lid locked on Dry sauté the leek for 1 minute. Add the garlic and sauté 1 more minute. Turn off sauté and add the carrot, celery root, parsnip, lentils, herbs and broth. Lock the lid on the cooker and bring to high pressure for 6 minutes. Let the pressure come down naturally. Open the lid, carefully turning it away from you, and add the peas. Stir once and lock the lid on for 2 minutes. Add parsley for garnish, salt and pepper, to taste, along with either lemon zest and juice or a splash of vinegar.Notes
Don't let how this looks stop you from making it. It makes great use of in-season vegetables.
HK says
I don’t understand this recipe. What happens in step 1? Do you cook at pressure and then wait 1-2 minutes, then add the stuff in step 2, and…? What do you do with the stuff from step 1, dump into a bowl and come back to it, or…?
I love the idea of this but the recipe is unclear for a pressure cooker novice 🙁
Jill Nussinow says
IGNORE step 1. I have no idea why it’s in there. Start with Step 2 and everything will be fine.
If I could change it, I would but for some reason my tech skills can’t handle it today. Sorry for the confusion.
Stevv says
We loved this recipe. The lemon zest really made it and the lentils came out perfectly al dente. My only problem was that the rosemary leaves came off the twig and we had to pick them out of the stew. Next time I chop them. But this recipe goes in my catalogue. It’s a perfect example of the wonderful things that can be down in and pressure cooker.
Jessica M says
Hi Jill! I’m going to tuck this recipe away for end-of-summer and fall here in AK. My question is about the recipe: the first step is to do some pressure cooking, and then you start sautéing and such. Does that mean that the first step is cooking the beans, and then you remove them? Thanks in advance for clarifying!
Jill Nussinow says
Thank you for asking Jessica and for planning in advance when you have the ingredients. It was so interesting to discover those celery root that I had to do something with them.
You keep the beans in the recipe for the whole time because they need to cook for a longer time. I hope that this clarifies things. I will likely go in and clean up that recipe before celery root comes back on my radar.