Root Vegetable Ragout

This excellent vegan winter root vegetable ragout is adapted from a recipe presented in Georgeanne Brennan’s 1995 France:  The Vegetarian Table (ISBN 978-0811804745).  While her original recipe was flavored to suggest a North African couscous, we have tried to pull it back into a more classic Provencal style through use of Herbs de Provence and dried tomatoes.  We are also quite fond of this recipe as it provides a glimpse of the type of vegetable cooking that was common in Europe prior to the advent of New World potatoes; in fact everything in this recipe – save for the dried tomatoes – would have been present in Provence back to at least the Middle Ages. 

12 shallots
2 pounds parsnips, washed and cut into 2” chunks
1 pound turnips, washed and quartered
1 pound rutabaga, washed and cut into eights
1 pound carrots, washed and cut into 2” lengths
¼ cup olive oil, in all
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Herbs de Provence
½ cup dry white wine
2 cups stock
1 cup water
4 bay leaves
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut into ½” strips
1 pound chard leaves, washed, destemmed, and cut into 1/2” wide ribbons

Parboil shallots for 5 minutes in boiling water.  Drain and peel away the skin from the top downward.  Cut off the skin by cutting through the root plate at the bottom.  Be sure to leave some of this place as otherwise the shallots will fall apart upon cooking.  Heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a heavy skillet and saute the peeled shallots over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes until their outsides have caramelized.  Remove from heat and set aside. 

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a large, heat-proof casserole warm remaining olive oil over medium heat.  When hot add in the parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, and carrots and saute for until well coated in the oil and somewhat softened, about 10 minutes. 

Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and Herbes de Provence and sprinkle over the vegetables.  Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the flour begins to stick and turn brown on the casserole bottom.  Add the wine and deglaze the casserole.  After a minute or two add in the stock, water, bay leaves, dry tomato strips, half of the chard, and reserved carmelized shallots.  Cover casserole and bake until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.  Remove cover, stir in the remaining chard, and continue baking for another to reduce the sauce and brown the vegetables slightly.  Serve warm, preferably with a fresh, crusty baguette..  

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