10. Root Vegetable Winter Stews
Ingredients
- 150g giant couscous (wholewheat, for preference)
- 1 kg celeriac (ie, 1 big one or 2 small)
- 1 small swede
- 1 fennel bulb
- 4 carrots
- 8 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 orange, juiced
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 tbsp pul biber (Turkish flaked chilli), or 1 pinch other dried red chilli flakes
- 1 tsp ground turmeric, or fresh, peeled and grated
- 1 small bunch parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
- 1 x 400g tin or jar butter beans, drained
Instructions
- First put the couscous in a bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak while you get on with the rest. Peel the celeriac and swede, and cut both into irregular, bite-sized pieces. Cut the fennel bulb into thin wedges and finely slice the stems, reserving any of the feathery fronds. Peel and cut the carrots into coins.
- Heat half the oil in a heavy-based casserole, then sweat the celeriac, swede, carrot and fennel for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until they soften and pick up a little colour. Add the cayenne, cumin, the juice from the lemon and orange, a good pinch of salt and 400ml cold water. Bring to a simmer, cover, turn the heat to low and leave to simmer for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make a dressing by mixing the rest of the oil in a small bowl with the lemon zest, then stir in the pul biber, turmeric and parsley.
- Once the vegetables have been cooking for 30 minutes, they should be soft, with a decent amount of thick, soupy broth; if the stew looks a little lean on liquid, add more hot water, because the couscous will absorb a lot of liquid, too.
- Drain the couscous and stir into the pot with the butter beans, put the lid back on and cook for 10 minutes more until the couscous has fluffed up and softened. Season to taste and serve hot, with a drizzle of the lemony dressing to finish.
