Italian autumn stew

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 4 spring onions
• 8 shallots
• 8 garlic cloves
• 2 bell peppers
• 1 ½ kg Hokkaido pumpkin(s)
• 1 kg potatoes
• 800 g tomatoes, chopped
• 500 g beans, preferably fresh
• 500 g mushrooms
• ½ liter vegetable broth
• ½ liter of water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• Parsley
• Thyme
• olive herb
• Chili powder or chili flakes

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 50 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 35 minutes

vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free

Peel and dice the potatoes. Then place them in 0.5 l of cold, salted water. Deseed, wash, and dice the bell pepper. Peel and finely chop the leek. Add it to the potatoes along with the vegetable stock. For fresh green beans: Remove the stems from the beans and place them in a second pot. Add salt and a little sugar, pour boiling water over them, and cook for about 15 minutes. Then drain and set aside. Heat the potato mixture in a covered pot. Once boiling, remove the lid, add the chopped tomatoes, and simmer over medium heat. Dice the onions, garlic, and mushrooms and fry in a pan with a little olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Then add them to the potato pot and cook. Add the beans, the thyme (picked from the stems), the olive leaves, and a good splash of olive oil to the potato pot. Let the stew simmer for about an hour. In the meantime, wash the Hokkaido lettuce and trim any unsightly skin. Then cut them into pieces, remove the seeds, and dice them. The Hokkaido skin is perfectly edible. Chop the parsley. After about an hour of cooking, add the Hokkaido cubes to the stew. Then let the stew simmer for another 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon of sugar. Season the stew with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chili. This is the basic seasoning; other spices are optional. I recommend a small piece of ground vanilla bean. Add the parsley just before serving.