Oyster Mushroom, Squash and Chestnut Stew

Recipe by Anna Gill

Serves: 4 as a main course

2 tablespoons extra lite olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 large leek, cleaned, trimmed and thinly slices
6 to 8 leaves of sage, minced, plus another 5 for garnish
½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 to 2 cups of vegetable broth
10 to 12 small red cipollini onions, paper and ends removed and kept whole
1 -14.8 oz. jar roasted, peeled whole chestnuts
2 cups butternut squash in 2 inch cubes
5 to 7 fingerling potatoes, washed and chunked, (approximately 2 inch pieces)
2 carrots, washed and chunked, (approximately 2 inch pieces)
2½ cups oyster mushroom, torn into 1½ inch florets
2 cups baby Portobello or white button mushrooms, sliced thickly
Salt & freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375o.
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium sized saucepan.
3. Add the garlic and leeks and sauté until the leeks are wilted and slightly translucent. 
4. Add the minced sage, thyme leaves and the tomato paste. Stir and cook gently for about 2 minutes.
5. Remove the vegetables and herbs with a slotted spoon to a bowl, leaving as much of the cooking fluid as possible. Set the vegetables aside.
6. Coat the bottom of a 14 inch baking pan with the reserved liquid and add ¼ cup of the vegetable broth. Add the cipollini, squash and the chestnuts to the baking dish and place in the oven for about 15 minutes.
7. Add the potatoes, carrots and both types of mushrooms to the baking dish and sprinkle the reserved sautéed vegetables over them. Add a ¼ cup of vegetable broth as needed. (While this dish needs the broth, like risotto, it should added in small quantities, a little at a time.) Toss all the vegetables together and return the baking dish in the oven.
8. Lower the temperature to 350o and cook for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, adding broth as it is absorbed. When ready, the vegetables should be easily pierced but should not crumble.
9. Remove the baking dish, season with salt and pepper, garnish with the remaining sage leaves and serve.

VARIATIONS:
Depending on the season there are an infinite number of alternative vegetables that can be used here. The trick is to give the denser veggies, like the whole cipollini and the chestnuts a longer cooking time than those that cook more quickly.