Veggies & Vino

By Sylvia Jansen, Ricki-Lee Podolecki, and Dylan Watkins

Photos by Ian McCausland

Winter days call for steaming pots of comfort food to share with family and friends. We gathered three of our favourite wine experts to put together a vegetarian and vegan-friendly menu of hearty winter meals. Sylvia was inspired by local ingredients to create a hearty Manitoba lentil stew with white bean hummus. Dylan folded wine right into his pasta dish, with red wine ravioli stuffed with sweet potatoes and finished in a simple coconut cream sauce. For a meal of smaller plates, Ricki-Lee created a beautiful beet carpaccio and a vegan stuffed mushroom dish in a rich sun-dried tomato coconut cream sauce. Dylan and Ricki-Lee have also provided recipes for creating your own vegan feta and parmesan substitutes. And to top off your plant-based feast: all of the paired wines are also vegan!

Lentil Stew With White Bean Hummus

Serves 6

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 celery stick, trimmed and chopped

1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped

1 tbsp Herbes de Provence-infused olive oil

2½ cups Puy-style Manitoba green lentils

4 cups vegetable stock

½ cup red wine

1 bay leaf

1 bunch of fresh thyme, leaves stripped

3 leaves of fresh sage, chopped

1 pinch Herbes de Provence

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

2 tbsp red wine vinegar sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Sauté carrots, celery, and onion in a stove-top pot, conceivably one that will take the stew to the table. When the vegetables are nicely soft, but not yet browned, add the lentils, broth, bay leaf, and wine. Bring it all to a boil and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring regularly. While it is cooking, add the herbs. Once the lentils are soft and the consistency is stew-like (rather than soup-like), add the spinach and simmer for 2 minutes until wilted. Finish with red wine vinegar and season to taste.

Suggested sides: Roasted butternut squash, roasted baby carrots, sautéed cremini mushrooms with Sherry, sweet peas with butter.

White Bean Hummus

1 can white beans

2 tbsp Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil

½ tsp tahini

½ lemon, juiced

1 clove garlic sea salt to taste

In a food processor, purée garlic, then add beans, tahini, and lemon juice. While the processor is running, drizzle in olive oil until it forms a smooth dip. Taste and add salt as needed.

SHOP LOCAL:

Lise Belanger and Michael Graham at Frescolio Fine Oil + Vinegar Tasting Bar offer their infused extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar suggestions to enhance our recipes. If you have not visited one of their locations lately, you can use a good quality extra virgin olive oil in any of these recipes.