Sweet Potatoes (photo by June.C.Oka, courtesy of morguefle.com)

Our good friend Evelyn Kimber of the Boston Vegetarian Society and the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival helped us get permission to pass this wonderful stew recipe on to you. This year the Festival took place on Saturday, October 20th. If you missed it, try and get there next year, it’s a lot of healthy fun for the whole family and definitely worth the trip. This recipe was taught at the Festival by Chef Cathi di Cocco, Owner of Café di Cocoa.

“Café Di Cocoa-Food for the Soul” opened in Bethel, Maine in 1996. It’s a charming 28-seat vegetarian restaurant located on Main Street in a Victorian farmhouse. Since then they’ve added a retail Market and Bakery located next door. Chef/Owner Cathi di Cocco feeds & educates crowds of people through her in-house cooking classes, food tasting, community soup kitchen and Summer Cooking Camp for Kids. The web site is under construction. Plans for a cooking school & educational center are in the works. Vegetarian eating must be providing Chef Cathi with plenty of energy!

Ingredients for 8 Quarts

• 3 Large onions, sliced
• 4 Tablespoons, chopped garlic
• 10 Pounds sweet potatoes, peeled & diced 1”
• ¼ Cup vegetable oil
• 1 Gallon water or mild veggie stock
• 4 Kefir lime leaves (or zest of 2 limes)
• 4 Red peppers, cut into bite sized strips
• 8 Cups zucchini cubes (or veggies of choice)
• 1 Pound extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into cubes
• 2-3 Tablesoons Thai curry paste (Maesri brand, “Chu Chee”)
• ½ Cup organic evaporated cane juice
• 4 Tablespoons grated ginger root
• 4 Tablespoons chopped lemon grass (frozen is fine!)
• 3 14-Ounce cans coconut milk (or 1 can plus 1 bar dried coconut)
• ½ Cup natural peanut butter
• 1 Bunch cilantro, cleaned & stemmed

Preparation

1. Over medium heat in large heavy-bottomed stockpot.
2. Saute onions and garlic in oil for about 5-8 minutes or until tender but not colored.
3. Add sweet potatoes and continue to cook for 15 minutes.
4. Add water or stock and lime leaves.
5. Bring to boil; simmer 20 minutes.
6. Place peanut butter and chili paste in medium sized bowl and add 1 ladle of “broth”.
7. Stir to melt and return to soup pot.
8. Add red pepper strips, cubed veggies, tofu, sugar, ginger, lemongrass, and coconut milk.
9. Simmer until all veggies are tender-about 15 min.
10. Ready to serve as is or if you prefer a thicker stew, simply ladle a few cups of the stew chunks into a blender with a small amount of broth and carefully puree till smooth.
11. Hot liquids expand when blended! Stir back into the pot.
12. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Submitted by Cathi DiCocco, Chef/Owner of Café DiCocoa in Bethel, Maine.

To make a reservation to dine at Café DiCocoa & try more of Chef Cathi’s delicious creations give a call to: (207) 824-5282

To get more info on the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival and learn more about the sponsoring organization go to: Boston Vegetarian Society