Springtime Vegetable Stew

We have made hearty salads from all the greens that the CSA brings each week. Summer squash also came early this year and with this week's delivery, we had 4 really pretty squash varietals in our fridge. We also have been getting a lot of herbs - thyme, oregano, sorrel, and our first bunches of basil came this week! For tonight's dinner I was trying to think of something that would use some herbs as well as squash and scapes. So, I decided to make a springtime vegetable stew... I found a recipe in my Local Flavors cookbook (by Deborah Madison) that calls for a lot of veggies including ones that I know will be arriving in the next few weeks though n the meantime, I supplemented from my local market.

Summer Vegetables Stewed in Their Own Juices (serves 4) with Basil Puree
Ingredients:
2 tbsp EVOO
2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, chopped into large pieces
2 garlic scapes, chopped into large pieces
3 thyme sprigs
6 sage leaves
2 large carrots, peeled & chopped into ~4-inch lengths
sea salt & freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound small new potatoes
1/4 pound green beans, ends trimmed
3 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded & chopped into large pieces, juice reserved
1 bell pepper - yellow or orange - cut into 1-inch strips
2 medium summer squash, cut into large pieces

--> Use a Dutch oven on the stove over low heat- add EVOO and bay leaves. After the EVOO starts to get warm, add the onions, garlic scapes, thyme & sage. Cover and cook while you cut up the other vegetables.

--> I don't use baby carrots, but if you prefer those, you can add them whole to the pot. Otherwise cut up a bigger carrot into small chunks and add to the pot. Season with salt & pepper as you add each layer of vegetables. Depending on the size of your potatoes, you will want to halve or quarter them. Add to the pot; salt & pepper. Cut the beans in half and add them along with the tomatoes, pepper and squash to the pot. Salt & pepper one more time. Pour the tomato juice over the top, cover and cook until all the vegetables are tender - about 45 minutes. Check and stir the vegetables every so often - if the pot looks dry, add some white wine. I found that my vegetables gave off enough juices that this wasn't necessary.

--> Serve the veggies in bowls and spoon the Basil Puree over the top if you want to make that too (recipe below the pic). I think the basil puree (almost like pesto) is delicious!!



Basil Puree:
Ingredients:
1 cup of basil leaves
1 garlic scape
EVOO
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

--> Put the basil & garlic scape in the food processor and turn on. Add EVOO and a couple of tablespoons of water (this is all eyeball - don't want the mixture to be too dry or too wet). Once mixed together, add the Parmesan cheese and pulse the food processor a few more times. That's it!