fortification fridays - Oops I Did It Again Vegetables in Broth

I had planned to make porkolt, the Hungarian paprika stew usually known on this side of the Atlantic as goulash. I had a nice chuck roast defrosting in the refrigerator; I started sautéing several onions. I removed the meat from the wrapping…

…and was almost knocked over by the smell. When I was sick, I’ll admit, I let things go. Since rancid meat can happen to any remodeler, especially when distracted by things like no walls, a makeshift refrigerator, and/or an inch of drywall dust everywhere, I thought I’d let you know what I did next.

I save cooking staples in the freezer as well as the pantry. I have already urged you to throw your old bones in the crock pot or stock pot and make chicken stock to freeze. I freeze chicken stock in 1-cup and 2-cup portions, and I make chicken stock ice cubes to throw in stirfries and other dishes that need a moist flavor boost. I also save bacon drippings, which we keep in a tough little glass jar in the freezer, and add a bit to eggs and even dishes like this one to provide a nice smoky flavor.

I also freeze big knobs of fresh ginger. People will tell you that ginger turns mushy if you freeze it – well, it does, if you thaw the whole thing. But why bother if you are just going to grate a piece it? Ginger when grated frozen looks exactly like grated fresh ginger, which is mushy. There’s little flavor loss, and it keeps a very long time.

Trader Joe’s has frozen green garbanzo beans (aka chick peas). They taste exactly like regular ones, but they are prettier and maybe a bit less mushy. You can see them in the picture.


Oops I Did It Again Vegetables in Broth, An Improvised Dish

The vegetables don’t matter as much as the cooking liquid, which is a delicious Mediterranean-inspired oniony tomato ginger broth. I could see this dish being made with green beans, peas, lima beans, potatoes, zucchini, carrots – basically, just about any fresh vegetable on hand. The combination of spinach, garbanzo beans, and red peppers was a particularly nice version, though.

Kitchen needs: stove top.
Serves: 4 as main dish, more as side dish

Two med. yellow onions
1 can chopped tomatoes in juice (not puree)
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 red pepper, chopped
handful of parsley, chopped
2 T. grated fresh ginger
1/2 t. cumin
1 t. coriander
1/2 c. chicken stock or white wine
olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 bag frozen spinach (or a whole bag of fresh)

Saute onions in a tablespoon or so of olive oil until golden brown and well-cooked (about 15 minutes on medium-low). Add everything else BUT the spinach, and let cook down for 10 minutes or so. Just before serving, add the spinach and adjust the spices. You want the spinach to stay bright green and everything else to be stew-y. Serve with rice pilaf, couscous, egg noodles, or just pita bread for scooping.