Slumgullion

slum·gul·lion

 [sluhm-guhl-yuhn, sluhm-guhl-] 

–noun

1.  a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

January 18, 2011


Thanks to Uncle Dave of Blue Mountain Farm we have carrots, spinach, green onion and red leaf lettuce in our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) bags today. We both got the list at about the same time and decided we needed to sleep on it. Oddly our morning conversation consisted of similar ideas but sort of "inside out and upside down" from each other's. Fun! 

Kat's Slumgullion Adventure

When I first got this week's list from Angela, one of my favorite concoctions sprang to mind. It doesn't really have a name, or rather, I like to improvise so it's never really the same dish twice!

Begin with the carrots and onions.  Saute' (or better yet, stir-fry/steam) in your favorite liquid (I like grapeseed or sunflower oil, or just a small amount of water) in a large skillet.  As the carrots become tender, add whatever other veggies you have--Of course, potatoes, beets...hard veggies first.  I often add mushrooms, as they make for a brown "gravy", but ANYTHING goes...So broaden your thinking!  Some of my favorite additions are:   

• Beans (Aduki beans are our household favorite.  Macrobiotically acceptable, protein-rich and alkalizing)
• Seeds (particularly sunflower and sesame)
• Nuts (Almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews,...)
• Fruit (raisins, dried cranberries)

As it cooks, add your favorite herbs and spices. Some of my favorites: thyme, garlic, tumeric (an anti-inflammatory), Celtic salt or miso, or even a small a splash of wine!

Add the greens last (in this case our spinach, but you can substitute [or add!] kale, cabbage, bok choi, pak choi, chards...so they just steam on top.  (I advise cutting broccoli into florets and steaming at the end, also). 

Serve on organic brown jasmine rice or a favorite pasta.

 

Note:  Any meat can be cooked and added (or used as a base starter) for the dish, or it can be strictly vegan or vegetarian.  In the latter two cases, I suggest the addition of beans/served on rice or a grain, and the addition of nuts/seeds.

Angela's Slumgullion Adventure

When I woke up this morning I knew what I was going to suggest - a one dish dinner using the vegetables, rice and chicken/vegetable stock. Then Kat told me about her slumgullion idea and I laughed because our ideas were so similar. The difference is that my recipe begins with the rice and ends with the vegetables.

This recipe uses the carrots and spinach in the main dish and the green onion and red leaf lettuce in the side salad.

For this meal I used:

2 tbl extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups white long grain rice

4 garlic toes, minced

½ sweet yellow onion, chopped

3 cups broth or stock (chicken or vegetable), heated

1 tbl curry powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper

3 tbl fresh parsley or carrot greens, chopped 
4 carrots, scrubbed & sliced into ¼" rounds (leave the skin on)

1½ cups spinach, washed & roughly chopped (be sure to soak & spin)

Browned rice, onion & garlic

Begin by heating the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over a medium heat. Add the rice, onion and garlic. Continue to stir ingredients over medium heat until the onions are browned rice has become a golden brown color.

Carrots & spinach on
top of the browned rice

Carefully add hot stock. Cover the skillet and reduce heat to low. Add curry powder, sea salt, cracked black pepper and parsley (or carrot green). Stir until evenly distributed. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add carrots and spinach to the top of the rice. Return lid to pan and continue to cook on low heat. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Periodically check the carrots and when they are done take the pot from the stove.

Low-fat turkey sausage added to rice
amd vegetable mix

Pre-cooked meat can be added at the end. For a vegetarian meal I would add beans with the vegetables to steam. Tonight we added low-fat turkey sausage slices that had been browned in a skillet to the mix and served the dish with a salad of fresh mixed lettuces, sprouts and homemade organic ranch dressing.