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A new year has just begun and many of us are tightening our belts and looking for ways to save cash. Since food is one of the major expenditures for a family, it’s a natural place to try to spend less. Luckily, there is a way to save while still enjoying a great meal. This winter, resolve to return to your roots (onions, potatoes, turnips and rutabagas, to name a few). Locally grown root vegetables are abundant and cheap right now, not to mention healthy, delicious and filling when turned into hearty vegetable stews.

If you’ve never made a vegetable stew before there are a few things that will help insure your success. To begin with, you need to use the correct pot. Stews develop flavor gradually and require an hour (at least) of cooking time.  If your pot is too thin, you run the risk of scorching the ingredients at the bottom. An enamel-coated cast iron Dutch oven is the best choice—it’s large enough to hold everything comfortably, and heavy enough to protect the stew as it cooks. 

Second, try to cut the vegetables into attractive (and similarly sized) shapes. Round vegetables like turnips and onions can be cut into large wedges as you would an apple or tomato. Potatoes slice easily into wedges, large cubes or short, fat rectangles. Very large vegetables such as rutabagas and squashes are best diced. And when you are cutting long roots like carrots and parsnips forget the coins—try a roll cut instead. To use this technique, place a carrot on your cutting board and make a diagonal cut near the skinny end. Then roll the entire carrot 180 degrees toward you and make a second diagonal cut (same direction) so that you end up with a triangular shape. Continue rolling and cutting until you have a pile of little wedges

Finally, a good vegetable stock (instead of plain water) can make a world of difference. There are many brands for sale, or you can easily make your own from vegetable scraps.

Now that you’ve got a bit of information, check out this week’s recipe for Sweet-and-Sour Cabbage and Bread Stew, by Nava Atlas. Reprinted with permission from Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons by Nava Atlas ($17.95, Broadway Books, 2009). For more information check out Nava Atlas's website.