Vegetable stew

"Pot" 2 - second use of the Staub cast iron pot

My intention was to make a vegetarian dish; however, I poured in about 1/3 cup liquid from coq au vin leftover. So it was no longer vegetarian.

Heat the pot with a splash of olive oil.

Chop leeks and onions, surplus ingredients from making coq au vin. Into the pot. Lightly season with kosher salt.

While waiting for onions to become translucent, prepare the following ingredients:
- Carrots, peeled and chopped.
- Chinese mushroom, rinsed. (Reconstituted dried porcini mushroom would do too)
- Fried bean curd, blanched, rinsed under cold water and drained.

Deglaze with a splash of wine.

Carrots, in. Season with a bit of salt and sugar. Cover and simmer.

Mushroom and bean curd, in. Stir occasionally. Pour in coq au vin leftover liquid (optional). Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Final seasoning to taste. Done.

Lessons learned:

• I was surprised to see the amount of liquid just from cooking leeks, onions and carrots. Self-basting feature really shines here.
• The lid smelled like staled Chinese mushroom and onions after rinsing with soap and hot water; it took several cycles to reduce the odor.
• Patience. Allow time to harmonize the ingredients and create big flavor.