In the interest of team building I proposed a soup & stew competition at work.
Entries are: Mexican chicken with tortillas, BokChoy with noodles, Beet Stew, Steak Chili, Butternut Squash coconut curry, Butternut squash with bacon, Hot and Sour ~ WINNER!
There were almost 3 kinds of butternut squash because that was my first choice too, but I switched last minute to a sort of casual borscht, pretty tasty.
Rob baked some bread for us, delicious and gobbled up in a flash.
Recipe:
Begin by warming some stock. While it’s warming,
Saute finely diced shallots in butter until translucent
Add minced garlic & saute until fragrant, about 10-20 secs
Add a finely diced mirepoix & sauté until soft.
Deglaze with a splash of wine if needed at any time during sautéing
Add to the broth chopped beets (raw or partially roasted) and raw chopped potatoes
Add the mirepoix
Simmer until veg is tender
Season to taste, I added a splash of tamari, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, dill and a bit of lemon juice to brighten it up at the end.
You can serve this chunky or use a handblender to roughly break up the veg but this soup isn’t nice pureed completely so leave lots of texture. A dollop of sour cream added to the bowl is nice.
I dressed up for the occasion, wearing my sparkly Gnomey shirt from @Edel 
And here’s the prize I made, it’s a magnet for the winner’s fridge.
The staging stations completely took over our little office kitchen and spilled out into the boardroom. Even our landlord stopped by for some samples and cast a vote! Pretty fun. I’m collecting recipes to make a little booklet as my gift to staff this holiday.
