Recipe: Vegetable pot-au-feu with toasted spice broth
A recipe and wine match from Daring pairings by Evan Goldstein
Vegetable pot-au-feu with toasted spice broth
Given grüner veltliner’s affinity for Indian food and for produce, this pairing is an ideal meeting of flavors, cultures, and talent with the recipe a perfect showcase for both the wine and the vegetables.
The dish is based on a south Indian vegetable stew called sambhar. Adding the butternut squash to the broth gives it a very meaty body. Toasted spices give a nice warmth to the dish. It stands up to grüner and enhances its flavor.
Vegetable Pot-au-Feu with Toasted Spice Broth
Floyd Cardoz – Tabla, New York City, New York
Makes 6 main-course servings
18 small shallots or pearl onions, unpeeled
1 head garlic, separated into cloves, unpeeled
3 tablespoons canola oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
18 baby turnips, peeled and halved
3 carrots, peeled and cut into half inch cubes (about 3 cups)
Three quarters of a pound fingerling potatoes
SPICE BROTH
3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced across the grain
1 cup diced, peeled butternut squash (half inch dice)
Half cup pink lentils, picked over, rinsed, soaked in cold water to cover for 30 minutes, and drained
2 quarts vegetable stock
SPICE MIX
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
Half teaspoon cumin seeds
Quarter teaspoon mace blades
2 whole cloves
TO FINISH THE BROTH
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
2 cups shelled edamame
Juice of 1 lime
Half cup fresh cilantro leaf chiffonade
Steamed rice for serving
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the shallots and garlic cloves on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Bring up the sides of the foil and secure closed. Place the turnips and carrots on a small rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons canola oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Place the foil packet and the baking sheet in the oven and roast until all the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven. Set the turnips and carrots aside. Unwrap the shallots and garlic, let cool, peel, and set aside.
In a saucepan, combine the potatoes with lightly salted water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat slightly, and cook until tender when tested with a knife tip, about 20 minutes. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, cut into quarters. Set aside.
While the vegetables are in the oven, begin making the broth. Heat a heavy, 4-quart skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and dry roast until lightly colored, about 10 minutes. Add the squash, lentils, and stock and simmer until the squash and lentils are tender, about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the spice mix. In a small skillet, combine the coriander, peppercorns, cumin, mace, and cloves and toast over low heat, shaking the pan often, until all the spices are fragrant and have taken on color, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour onto a plate and let cool, then transfer to a spice grinder and grind finely.
When the lentils and squash are ready, add the ground spices to the broth and simmer for 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Working in batches, transfer to a food processor and pulse until the consistency of oatmeal, then pass through a coarse-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan. Discard the contents of the sieve. Taste the broth and season with salt.
To finish the broth, in a small skillet, heat the canola oil over medium heat just until it smokes. Add the mustard seeds and heat until all the seeds start to pop, about 30 seconds. Be careful because a few seeds will pop almost instantly. Add the contents of the skillet to the broth.
Place the broth over medium-high heat, add the shallots, garlic cloves, turnips, carrots, potatoes, and edamame, and bring to a simmer. Cook just until all the vegetables are heated through. Add the lime juice and cilantro and stir well.
Transfer the vegetables and broth to a warmed serving bowl. Serve at once with the rice.
Reproduced with permission of University of California Press © Evan Goldstein 2010
Read our full review of Daring Pairings here »
Daring Pairings by Evan Goldstein is published by University of California Press (Berkeley and LA; 2010; hb 353 pp) and retails for RRP US$34.95 or RRP A$55.95 in Australia.
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