This recipe is courtesy of my MIL. In a low-walled Dutch oven, heat 2 Tbsp neutral vegetable oil on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add 1 Tbsp ground coriander, 1 Tbsp ground cumin, 2 tsp smoked paprika, and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Saute until fragrant, then add: 3 celery stalks (including as many leaves as you can) and 1 large onion, each finely diced. In a few seconds, add 1 lb smoked sausage (my MIL used a store-bought “Korean” sausage from Market Basket https://www.johnsonville.com/products/korean-bbq-sausage-rope.html, but we substituted turkey kielbasa), cut on a ½ inch diagonal. Saute until the sausage slices are slightly browned and curled at the edges and the celery-onion are softened (a few mins). Add three 14.5 oz canned black beans including liquid (we use no salt canned), 3/4 cup roasted red bell pepper (from a jar, drained, and cut into 1/2” slivers), and 2 cups chicken broth, then bring to a boil. Then add 1 large Russet, peeled and cut into ½ inch dice (we used 2 medium, skin-on Yukons). Reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook until potato is tender and flavors meld (my MIL said 2 hours, but we reduced to 45 mins). At the end of cooking, season to taste (we added about 1 tsp apple cider vinegar for brightness). Sometimes if the stew lacks depth, we add 1-2 mounded Tbsp black olive tapenade. Serve with fresh lemon wedges, about ¼ lemon per serving. (Dec. 2019)
Variation: Due to our pantry, we had to substitute center cut bacon (a 2″ wide piece, cut into ½” matchsticks) in lieu of sausage. We browned the bacon separately and added it to the celery-onion-spice mixture. We found the stew lacked umami and seasoning without the sausage, so we added: ½ cup dried apricots (halved); ¼ cup black olives (pitted and chopped); 1 tsp fennel seed; 2 tsp red wine vinegar; 2 tsp apple cider vinegar; and ½ tsp Kosher salt. We simmered for an additional 10 mins. (Nov. 2021)
Cooking Adventures 