Early Summer Stew – Snap Peas, Mushrooms, in Stewed Tomatoes

CSA Surprise Box Supper – This is a fabulously flavorful tomato, bean and vegetable blend with Farro!!

I came home latish today and the CSA box was on the kitchen counter. I had nothing in particular planned for dinner, except Bob had set down some of last summer’s frozen stewed tomatoes to thaw, so the CSA box became my inspiration. Your pantry, your grocery store produce isle and local farmers markets are also great for inspiration for "what should I make for supper?"

Red New Potatoes, great for stew, great for snack!

I put the tomatoes on to start heating – that will be a good base for something – while I explored the CSA box. At the top of the box were little red potatoes – love them just boiled up – 15-20 minutes. They don’t even need salt, and I can nibble them while whatever else I make is cooking. Boiled potatoes are handy to have in the fridge for snacking or to take to work and add to lunches .

Kale, snap peas and mushrooms from the CSA

Ingredients:

*Stewed tomatoes * kale * snap peas * mushrooms * onion * black eyed beans, farro * black pepper * parsley.

Be inspired by what's in your kitchen!

The CSA box had wonderful ingredients that would be great in the stewed tomatoes – mushrooms, snap peas and kale. Check the fridge – half of an onion to use and in the cabinet, black eyed beans say “choose me!”

Directions:

De-string the peas, stem and quarter the mushrooms, cut the onion and add them to the simmering tomatoes. (You could include potatoes in the stew, but I decided to save them for lunch and snacking)

Thicken the stew with Farro (nutrient packed, delicious whole grain) I thought I’d like it thicker, more like a stew, so I explore the pantry again. Perfect!! Here’s some Farro (an ancient grain wheat with 7 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per 1/4 cup). I dumped a cup into my creation. (One cup of grain with 3 cups of liquid — looked like I had a least that). Of course, adding the potatoes would also make it thicker.

For flavoring I added some pepper and a bit of dried parsley which we had hanging on the back porch. A huge patch of parsley showed up in the garden this year — (I guess the one plant we had last year went to seed…..) 15-20 minutes is enough time for the Farro to cook.