Tanda's Wild Root Vegetable Stew

Either you get the reference in the title or you're in need of a few days' vacation to watch Seirei no Moribito/Guardian of the Sacred Spirit. Easily the best anime I've ever watched, and I rewatch it about once a year. Goes great with a beer and this soup, I'll tell you, though you could plop me down in front of it with a cup of lukewarm Natty Lite and a stack of stale saltines and I'd probably not complain.

This is an adaptation of one of the first meals I ever learnt to cook, made vegetarian because that's how I roll these days, and boy-howdy is it good. Comfort food to the maximum, highly recommended.

Tanda's Wild Root Vegetable Stew

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb sliced portobello mushrooms, sliced and rinsed
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced

4 carrots, scrubbed and cut into 1/2" coins
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 3/4-1" cubes
Gratuitous black pepper
Shake or three of red pepper flakes

2 cups vegetable stock (or 2 cups' water + 2 tsp bouillon)

2 cups milk (cow or cashew, do NOT use soy or rice, they're too sweet)
3 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup milk

7 slices American cheese (shuddup, it tastes good)
1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese




Instructions

1. Heat oil in a big ol' soup-pout over medium-high heat.
2. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic, tossing them around a bit so that they get oily.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes while you cut up your carrots and celery.
4. Add the carrots and celery and let them cook while you cut up the potatoes (another 5ish minutes).
5. Add the potatoes, black pepper, and pepper flakes, and toss everything around every few minutes until the veggies start to become tender.
6. Add in the vegetable stock and stir, scraping up any tasty stuff that may have stuck to the sides or bottom of the pan along the way.
7. Allow the soup to boil for 7-10 minutes, or until the veggies are almost cooked how you like them.
8. Reduce heat to medium.
9. In a small dish, gradually add milk to the corn starch, mixing it into a smooth paste.
10. Add that to the pot, stirring so that it mixes in fully. This will create magic, just watch.
11. Add the 2 cups of milk and stir to combine.
12. Bring the soup to a boil, then let it boil until the veggies are well and truly done.
13. Once that's done, add the cheese and stir to combine. At this point, it's ready to serve.
14. If you're feeling lucky, leave a bowl on your front porch in case Balsa decides to come back and let you sew up her wounds or something. Remember, optimism never hurt anyone.

This goes really well with bread or crackers, but my personal favorite accompaniment for it is roasted Brussels sprouts. So warm and salty and comforting, it's the food equivalent of wrapping up in a blanket and glaring the world away from you before drifting into a happy little nap.

Enjoy!