Tomato Fennel & Potato Stew
Submitted by ila320
Provencal vegetable stew with fennel, potatoes, tomatoes, saffron, orange zest, olives, and white wine. A fragrant, hearty vegetarian one-pot meal served with garlic mayo.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
60 minREADY
90 minThis stew has the soul of Provence in every spoonful. Fennel wedges, potatoes, tomatoes, and olives braise in white wine and potato cooking water scented with saffron, orange zest, thyme, and bay leaves. It’s rustic, fragrant, and completely vegetarian.
Par-boiling the potatoes for 5 minutes before adding them to the stew and saving that starchy cooking water is a clever move. The starch helps thicken the broth as it simmers, and the potatoes get a head start so they finish tender at the same time as the fennel.
Leaving some core attached to the fennel wedges keeps them intact during the long cook. Without it, the layers separate into strings. You want tender wedges, not fennel confetti.
Kitchen Tips
- The stew can be assembled up to the boiling point and set aside to finish later, making it ideal for entertaining. Reheat on the stove or in the oven when ready.
- Stovetop takes 35 minutes, oven takes about an hour. The oven gives more even heat and a slightly deeper, more concentrated flavor.
- Use Niçoise, Gaeta, or oil-cured black olives. Canned black olives are too bland for a stew this flavorful.
- Serve with a bowl of garlic mayonnaise (aïoli) on the side. A spoonful stirred into the hot broth turns each bowl creamy and rich.
Variations
- Add white beans for extra protein and a heartier stew.
- Use herbes de Provence instead of thyme for a more complex herb blend.
- Swap the white wine for vegetable broth for an alcohol-free version.
Ingredients
Directions
Peel the potatoes and slice them lengthwise into quarters or, if large, into 6ths.
Trim the fennel, remove the outer leaves if they’re scarred, and cut into wedges ½-inch thick or a little wider. Leave some of the core so that the pieces stay intact.
Cut the tomatoes into large, neat pieces.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt to taste and the potatoes, and boil for 5 minutes.
Remove the potatoes, but save the water.
While the potatoes are cooking, warm the olive oil in a wide pan.
When hot, add the leek, onion, garlic, herbs, a little salt, saffron, orange zest and bay leaves.
Cook slowly over medium heat until the onions have begun to soften, after 6 or 7 minutes, then add the wine.
Let it reduce by approximately half, then add the tomatoes and their juice, the potatoes, fennel, half the parsley and the olives.
Pour in enough of the reserved potato water to cover, bring to a boil and lower the heat.
At this point, you can set the stew aside and finish it later, either in the oven or on top of the stove.
If cooking on top of the stove, cover the pan and cook slowly until the vegetables are tender, about 35 minutes.
If cooking in the oven, preheat it to 375F, cover loosely and bake for about 1 hour, or until done.
Remove bay leaves.
Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve with a bowl of garlic mayonnaise.
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