*Vegan
Don’t get this confused with hobo stew—that’s a totally different thing you cook over a campfire while someone plays a rusty harmonica and watches for coyotes. This stew is just as simple to make, but red wine and aromatics give it a pseudo-French sophistication.
Olive oil
2 onions, sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
Punch of kosher salt
1 pound carrots, chopped
1 large eggplant or 2 small eggplants, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 cup pearled barley
8 ounces mushrooms (baby bella or button), sliced
8 ounces seitan, chopped
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 cups red wine
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 zucchini, sliced into half-moons
One 14-ounce can butter beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup water
1. Coat the bottom of your biggest pot with olive oil and place over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and salt and stir to coat. Cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the carrots, eggplant, barley, mushrooms, seitan, thyme, basil, and pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes more.
3. Pour the wine and broth in, increase the heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and stir in the tomato paste. Cover the pot and cook for 45 minutes.
4. Add the zucchini, butter beans, and ½ cup of water (but only if the liquid has mostly evaporated). Stir, and cook for an additional 15 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 to15 minutes before serving.