Harvest Ragout

Ragout sounds fancier than stew.  For Sukkot, I decided to cook up my garden.  Well, three small eggplants, the last mature carrot, and some celery.  Supplemented by some tomatoes, onion, and leftover spinach and served over quinoa, this made a vegetarian meal.  I threw feta on it for a little extra flavor, but this can be made just fine as a vegan meal.  And yes, (grumble) it's gluten-free.

1 small eggplant, cut in 1" cubes
1 large carrot, chopped bite-sized
1 lb Roma tomatoes, large diced
*8 oz fresh spinach, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
*1/2 C diced onion
1/2 C diced celery
2 C low-salt vegetable broth
1 Tb butter (or olive oil for vegan)
1 Tb cornstarch
3/4 C dry quinoa
salt and pepper to taste
Feta cheese for garnish

1.  Sautée the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter in a large saucepan until soft.  Add 1 C broth, eggplant, carrot, and tomato.  Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until soft. about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching and to make sure everything makes it into the broth at some point.

2.  While that's going on, dissolve corn starch in 1/4 C cold water.  Cook quinoa in remaining cup of broth by also bringing to a low boil, then simmering covered for about 15 minutes.  Lightly salt and pepper both pots.  If you're using feta, that will add to the saltiness.

3.  When the quinoa is almost done and the vegetables have cooked down, add cornstarch slurry to the veggie pot.  Stir in and cook until the broth has thickened.  Stir in spinach, taste, and adjust seasonings.

4.  Serve ragout in a ring of quinoa, then lightly sprinkle with feta cheese.

Difficulty rating  π