HARVEST STEW (CHILE)

Here's a simple and tasty meatless dinner-in-a-dish that I found (and tweaked slightly) in a little paperback cookbook put out by the Mennonite Church, called Extending the Table ... A World Community Cookbook.

I noticed it right away because it includes some ingredients that I've been using in a series of culinary variations lately (red and green chiles, winter squash), and it's Chilean, which seemed appropriate with the low-cost Chilean Cabernet I had up in the tasting queue tonight. It also gave us a chance to test the theory that simple Cabernets stand up well to somewhat spicy entrees -- and indeed it did.

In a large saucepan, saute in a little olive oil:

1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red New Mexico chile powder
1/2 cup chopped mild green chile peppers
salt, pepper and dried oregano to taste.

Add:

1 1/2 cups thick tomato sauce (I used more of our endless supply frozen from last summer's huge San Marzano crop)
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed well and drained
1 15-ounce can yellow corn, ditto
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into large cubes. (Pumpkin, acorn squash or other winter squash would also work fine.)

Bring to the boil, turn down heat to very low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. The vegetables will mash up some and result in a thick, chunky stew. You'll never notice it doesn't have meat in it!

A light salad and a chunk of crusty ciabatta bread made an ample meal, with leftovers to spare.