Still Winter Veggie Stew

By March everyone in Nova Scotia is starting to talk about spring - starting seeds, gardening, how we don't have to go south now b/c spring is almost here etc...
I hate to  ruin the fun, but spring in Nova Scotia is sort of an extension of winter (I still love living here though!). One of the best parts about it being 'still winter' is that we can keep cooking soups and stews!


I have a beautiful new soup pot from my favourite store, Thornbloom. It is heavy, deep and everytime I put it on my stovetop to start a soup/stew I get a thrill - and I have had it for 2 months. You may think that getting excited about a pot is a little strange - but once you cook with the best, you will understand.

Here is a stew that I make frequently - with variations on the theme. Let's call this one: Still Winter Veggie Stew:

Start with diced onion, garlic and celery in a pot with a little olive oil. Saute till translucent.
Add 4-5 cups of vegetable broth and a couple of cups of boiling water.

Add chopped cabbage, turnip, carrots, and cook until tender.

Add 1-2 cans of drained and rinsed chickpeas (or cooked chickpeas), a couple of tsp of cumin, a dash of cinnamon, a little salt and freshly ground pepper.

Just before serving you can throw in some frozen peas and cook for a couple of more minutes.
Here it is on the stove...in 'the pot'. I also threw in some raw broccoli for the last few minutes of cooking...

 

Serve it over brown rice, quinoa or, as we did on this night, barley. A rice cooker does a fine job on barley.William is  really excited about the stew in this photo. Bon Appetit!