Hungarian Carrot Stew

HUNGARIAN CARROT STEW (adapted)

Recipe by Green Evi

1/4 cup sherry or white wine, more as needed

1 onion, diced

2 lb carrots, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp paprika powder

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp chili powder

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 tbsp flour of your choice (use GF if needed)

1/2 can of coconut milk*

1 small bunch of fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Pour the sherry or wine into a large pot. Add onion and carrots, and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until onions are translucent. Add garlic, paprika, smoked paprika, and chili powder, and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Pour vegetable broth over veggies. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until carrots are mainly soft, but still have some texture. In a small bowl, whisk together flour with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Add to carrots, and cook for another minute, stirring frequently, so the stew thickens a little.

Transfer 1/3 of the carrot stew to a blender, and blend until creamy. Add blended carrots back to the stew together with coconut milk and parsley. Stir and cook for 2-3 more minutes, until everything is heated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Editor’s Note:

The coconut milk called for here is culinary coconut milk, which comes in a can, not coconut milk beverage which may not actually taste like coconut. Coconut and coconut milk are high in saturated fat, so use in moderation or sparingly. If you use it here, the leftover coconut milk will not keep well in your refrigerator. Freeze the rest in a container or containers for future use in recipes like this one.

If you want the coconut flavor but want to avoid the high fat content of coconut, leave out the coconut milk or substitute another plant milk, and add some coconut extract: an organic brand is Flavorganics.

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This was a Recipe Challenge recipe. I wrote the following:

I made the Hungarian Carrot Stew.

This recipe is very easy to follow, has only a few ingredients, and was a lot more delicious than I expected! It’s made up carrots, cooked with onion and garlic in broth with no tomatoes and a few spices: paprika, smoked paprika, and chili powder. It calls for coconut milk but as I indicate in the recipe, you can use coconut extract instead, to keep this dish Very Low-Fat WFPB and Jumpstart Compliant, which is what I did. I think if I make it again or reheat the leftovers, I will add some soy milk just to give it a slight creamy texture.

I made some Roasted Marinated Tofu (recipe is in the Recipes space, under “Basic Recipes” I think) to have on the side, as I thought “just vegetables” was not enough for dinner. It was a good combination!

For anyone who observes Passover, this is a GREAT Passover dish—only vegetables. You would want to use something other than wheat flour to thicken the stew, maybe cornstarch, and if you felt you could not use that (different Jewish traditions have different rules), this dish would be fine without being thickened at all. You could use any kind of plant milk to make it creamy and almond milk would fit with any Passover tradition. (By the way, mid-winter is not too early to think about spring and Passover.)

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Green Evi: Evi says her recipe collection is “whole foods,” but some recipes do use oil and processed foods. As always, these recipes can be adapted or can provide inspiration. This collection of recipes includes Hungarian dishes (Evi is Hungarian), raw dishes, beverages, and vegan cheeses, along with the usual categories. Enjoy!

The featured recipe is Jumpstart-compliant if you leave out the coconut milk. As the recipe indicates, you can add some coconut extract to get the coconut flavor.