Adapted from Food Matters
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: approximately 40 minutes
- 1 large onion
- 1/2 lb. carrots
- 1/2 lb. string beans
- 1 bunch celery
- 1/2 lb. turnips
- 1 bunch collard greens or kale
- 1 bunch flat leaf (Italian) parsley
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 1-2 whole small dried chiles (optional)
- 1/4 lb. prosciutto, cured or smoked ham, pancetta, or bacon
- Fresh whole wheat bread
Shopping List
- Black pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
Pantry Items
- Bread knife
- Chef’s knife
- Dutch oven
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Paring knife
- Slotted spoon
- Spatula
- Vegetable Peeler
- Wooden spoons
Tools
- Wine: French Rosé
- Dessert: No-Bake Fruit Tart (Food Matters
Suggestions
- When you walk in the door
- Get out Pantry Items
- Get out Tools
- Assemble the ingredients
- Open the wine, put the cork back in and refrigerate it
- Prep
- Peel the onion, cut it in half, thinly slice it.
- Trim and peel the carrots and cut them into 2-inch chunks.
- Snap the ends from the green beans, and cut them into 2-inch lengths.
- Trim the leaves from the celery and peel half the stalks. Cut them into 2-inch lengths.
- Peel the turnips and cut them into 2-inch chunks.
- Rinse the collards or kale. Trim the stalks. Cut the leaves into 2-inch thick strips.
- Rinse and pat dry the parsley, pluck ½ cup leaves.
- Separate 3 sprigs of thyme from the bunch.
- Coarsely chop the prosciutto, the ham, the pancetta, or the bacon.
- Start Cooking
- Put 2 tbsps. olive oil into the Dutch Oven over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the onion and the meat and the dried chiles if you are using them and stir.
- Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to turn golden, about 5 minutes.
- Coarsely chop the parsley.
- Add the thyme sprigs and the parsley, reduce the heat just a bit, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are darker, about 5 more minutes.
- Remove everything from the pan with the slotted spoon.
- Add 1 tbsp. oil to the pan, increase the heat back to medium, and when it is hot, add the remaining vegetables and stir.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to caramelize a bit, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Return the onion mixture to the pot, add 2 cups water, and bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat so the liquid bubbles gently, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are the tenderness you like – poke them with a fork from time to time to check. The vegetables will take 25-40 minutes to cook.
- Now you’ve got time to set the table, check your email or just take a break and enjoy a glass of wine.
- Check the vegetables every ten minutes or so, to see if they are to your liking. When they are, remove from the heat, taste for seasoning, and slice the bread.
- Either serve the dish right from the Dutch Oven, or transfer it to a bowl or shallow platter. Garnish it with some herb sprigs, and take it to the table with the bread. Don’t forget the wine!
