Farmers Stew

There are plenty of stews out there...fisherman's stew, miner's stew, Irish stew, Texas stew.  I have crafted what I call Farmer's Stew.  This is what I would call an "empty the fridge recipe." 

There are several flavors, textures and temperatures in my farmer's stew.  It usually involves a leafy green or two, a legume, good herbs, an egg, and cheese.  I sometimes will even top with bacon...repeat after me, "because everything is better with bacon!"

Farmer's stew ingredients:

• plentiful amounts of leafy greens: spinach, kale, chard
• for this recipe, I added zucchini, cut in to half moons
• legume: it can be chickpeas (aka: garbanzo beans) or great northern beans (aka: cannellini beans)
• hard boiled egg (one for each plate)
• feta cheese to taste
• well-done slice of bacon (one slice, diced, for each plate)

In a large pot, I begin sauteing garlic in olive oil with a few sprigs of rosemary. The rosemary can be fresh or dried...I take my fresh rosemary and hang it upside down in our kitchen to dry out for future uses.  After a few minutes, add your zucchini. Saute for 3 minutes, moving around the pan. Be careful not to overcook. Then, add your greens on top and cover--this will allow the greens to get some of the steam and wilt. 

Zucchini and greens

Zucchini, greens, legumes

Be sure to rinse your legumes before adding them to the pot. Shake off the extra water and add to the pot.  If they get a little mashed, it's ok. Their starches will contribute nicely to the flavor of the dish.

Allow the legumes to cook through. I find that chickpeas can warm up more quickly than northern beans.  Turn the temp down so that the greens and zucchini will not overcook. 

Once the items in the pot are cooked through, you can move them to your serving dish.  Top each dish with a chilled, sliced hard-boiled egg.  We also like to top the dish with feta cheese and a slice of well done bacon.

Farmer's Stew!