October stew

You know fall is stew time.

Inspired by a peanut butter recipe at the rehearsal dinner in Idaho a couple weeks ago and a Mulligatawny Soup recipe shared by a friend today, not to mention my affection for red wine, I went this way...

I sauteed onion, celery, mushrooms, garlic, and yellow squash in olive oil with pepper until it got all chatty, then I quieted it down with just enough red wine (shiraz) to cover the bottom of the pan:


Then I made a roux with butter, olive oil, and flour:


To that, I added curry powder, peanut butter, and whole cream and stirred it until it was all smooth and blended. Then I added a splash of orange juice (hey, why not?) dill, black pepper, oregano, and thyme. Then I added vegetable broth slowly and stirred until it was all smooth and mixed. Finally, I added all the sauteeing ingredients, a couple of cups of uncooked brown rice that had been soaking for about 20 minutes, and some firm, cubed tofu (for the haters):


Now it's been simmering for about an hour, and it's just about done:


And proof that it was me cooking, because I can't ever handle flour without getting it all over me, especially if I am wearing black:


The peanut butter, curry, and cream combo smells and tastes just amazing.