Vegetable Stew & Poached Egg
Servings
4-6
Prep Time:
15 Minutes
Cooking Time:
45 Min

Introduction
Vegetable Stew & Poached Egg
That Even My Kids Like with Blue Corn Tortilla Chips and Poached Egg
The first recipe I ever published was for a vegetable soup like this one. It had a distinguished place in my junior high school newspaper and was my mom’s recipe that used tomato juice in the stock. My mom helped me write it, and I was really excited to submit it and see it in print, even if it was only the photocopied school paper. Small achievements! At that point, I don’t think that I had any inkling of how much time I would spend in recipe development a few years hence. I hadn’t heard of zoology then either, and I had never even considered law school. I was just a junior high student trying to understand how I fit into the sea of bewildering quasi-maturity in which I was swimming.
This is really a winter vegetable soup, since parsnips are difficult to obtain in the summer. If you are making it in the summer, you can substitute new potatoes, zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, and green beans for the potatoes, parsnips, carrots, and celery. If you are lucky enough to live near a farmers market and can fit in a visit, go there for inspiration!

Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 (32-ounce) carton vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon mixed dried herb blend
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
- 1 small sweet potato, peeled
- 2 parsnips, peeled
- 3 carrots, peeled
- 3 ribs celery
- 4 cups water
- 6–8 eggs
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- Coarse salt
- 1 bunch parsley, chopped with stems
- Blue corn tortilla chips
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
½ teaspoon salt
4 large cloves garlic, pressed
Place a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the onion and salt and sauté, stirring frequently, until the onion is fragrant and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds while stirring constantly.
Step 2
1 (32-ounce) carton vegetable stock
1 teaspoon mixed dried herb blend
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Pour the stock into the onion mixture and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Stir in the herbs, bay leaf, and tomato paste. Turn the heat to low.
Step 3
4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
1 small sweet potato, peeled
2 parsnips, peeled
3 carrots, peeled
3 ribs celery
4 cups water
Cut the potatoes, sweet potato, and parsnips into ½-inch dice and add to the broth. Cut the carrots and celery into ¼-inch dice and add to the soup. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the potato is tender and the soup thickens slightly. Remove the bay leaf. Taste to check seasonings; add additional salt in ¼-teaspoon increments if necessary.
Step 4
6–8 eggs
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
Coarse salt
1 bunch parsley, chopped with stems
Blue corn tortilla chips
Fill a shallow pan with water, add the vinegar, and bring to a simmer (a few bubbles breaking the surface). Ladle stew into bowls. Crack and slide eggs one by one into the simmering water. Cook for 2–3 minutes, or until the white is set and the yolk is still soft. Remove the eggs individually with a slotted spoon, floating one or two on top of each bowl of stew. Sprinkle a little coarse salt on top of the eggs. Sprinkle stew liberally with parsley and serve with tortilla chips.
Gluten-Free Variation: This menu is naturally gluten-free.
People Who’ve Made This
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