Bean, Corn and Squash Stew

With all the worry about over fishing, mercury poisoning, growth hormones in our meat and poultry and everything in between, I've been trying to cook more vegetarian meals lately. Granted some of them fall on nights when Dave is dining elsewhere, usually having a killer steak....but he's not averse to meatless, fishless meals...although he probably doesn't crave only vegetables for dinner as I sometimes do. I was thumbing through the Food and Wine Annual 2010 cookbook the other day and the photo of this stew caught my eye. My first thought was, nope, fresh corn is gone...but the fresh corn at the farmers' market yesterday looked GOOD and so here it is....

Bean, Corn and Squash Stew, serves 2+; Total Time: 50 minutes

2 cups water
2 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (one large ear)
9.5 oz cooked kidney beans, drained (1/2 can)
1/3 cup chopped basil leaves
1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
1/2 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp hot paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium pot bring water to a boil with the squash and corn. Cover and simmer over moderately low heat until the squash is just tender, about 15 minutes. Add the kidney beans and cook until the beans are hot. Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the squash mixture to a blender along with some of the liquid and 1/4 cup of the basil; puree. Return the puree to the pot and keep the stew warm.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 8 minutes. Add the cumin, oregano and 1/2 tsp of the paprika and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Stir the vegetables into the stew and season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a small saucepan, heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil. Add the remaining 1/2 tsp paprika and cook over low heat until fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl.

Ladle the stew into bowls. Swirl in the paprika oil, sprinkle with the remaining 2 tbsp basil and serve.

Bottom Line: I will make this again (actually I put 2 servings in the freezer)! Loved the flavors, I ended up using smoked paprika instead of hot as that's all I had and along with the cumin it was reminiscent of a vegetarian chili. It was quite filling and although I didn't have any on hand, you could serve it with tortilla chips or fresh corn tortillas.