Vegetarian Winter Vegetable Stew With Cornbread Cobbler - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 red onions, coarsely chopped
6 celery ribs, cut in large dice
6 carrots, peeled and cut in large dice
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons spicy chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 (10 ounce) package red pearl onions or (10 ounce) package white pearl onions, cut in half through root end
10 cups vegetable stock
5 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
6 tablespoons tomato paste
1 head cauliflower, cut into flowerets
1 cup water
6 tablespoons cornstarch
CORNBREAD COBBLER TOPPING
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 cup milk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy stockpot over medium-low heat.
Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, chile powder, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
Saute, stirring often, until the mixture is juicy, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and prepare a bowl of ice water.
Place the pearl onions in the boiling water; blanch about 1 minute.
Drain.
Transfer onions to ice water.
When cool, peel them.
Set aside.
Add the stock to the sauteed vegetables, stirring to scrape up any browned bits in the bottom of the pan.
Add the sweet potatoes and tomato paste.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the cauliflower and pearl onions.
Cover and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender.
Strain the liquid from the vegetables into a large pot.
Stir together the water and cornstarch.
Bring the stew liquid to a boil; keep at a simmer as you slowly add the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly, until the liquid thickens.
Divide the vegetables between 2 large casserole dishes; add the thickened vegetable juices to cover.
(Save any excess liquid for another use.) Top with large dollops of the cornbread topping.
Bake about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
CORNBREAD COBBLER TOPPING-------------.
Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl.
Work in the butter until incorporated.
Mix in the milk until just moistened.
Drop large spoonfuls of dough on top of the stew until almost completely covered but still lumpy on top.