This stew is a beautiful way to hide squash - it blends really naturally with the other flavors and provides a nice, subtle accent. About the beer - I think it comes out best when made with a bottle of Guiness. I've tried a couple of other stouts, but they felt a bit flat.
Mats - serves 2
1 Tb olive oil
10 pearl onions, skins removed
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into rounds (about 2/3c)
1 Tb flour
8 oz plain seitan, chopped into 1-inch pieces
4 slices tempeh bacon, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried
1 1/2c vegetable stock
1c stout beer. I like Guiness best
6oz (1c) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1-inch pieces
1c peas
In a pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the pearl onions and carrot and cook for 5 minutes. The onions should start to develop brown patches.
Add flour and stir so all the veggies are coated with the oil-flour mixture (look! it's a roux again). Cook for 2 minutes; the flour should be just starting to brown.
Add seitan, tempeh bacon, garlic and thyme and cook for 4 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to make sure nothing is sticking.
Add the beer, bring to a full boil and boil for 3 minutes. Keep scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent the bacon from sticking
Add the vegetable stock and butternut squash, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes.
Add the peas and cook for 10 more minutes.
I like to serve it under mashed potatoes, sorta like a shepherd's pie.
Easy way to peel butternut squash - chop of the neck. Slice the neck into 1/2 inch thick rounds (and toss the stem). Lay each round flat on your cutting board and make straight cuts around the circumference of the circle. You'll end up with something vaguely hexagon-like. Then scrape out the seeds of the bottom bit of the squash (like when you make a jack-o-lantern), chop into rounds and slice off the skin again.
