Happy St. Patrick's Day: A Fricot in Celebration...

Fricot is not an Irish dish but I decided to make it today in honor of my late mother-in-law Pauline, who was a proud Acadian/Irish lady. She made a delicious chicken fricot, which is a traditional Acadian stew/soup that my husband loved and remembers fondly. A few months ago, I made a vegan style fricot made with tofu instead of chicken. It has all the other traditional ingredients: onions, potatoes, carrots, turnips, summer savory as well as a few extra ingredients that I added to balance the flavors from the absence of meat. This delicious and simply flavored stew is what's for dinner tonight to celebrate St. Patrick's Day as well as a wonderful woman who was a very important part of our lives.

Vegan Fricot

2 TB Earth Balance margarine or olive oil
1/2 tsp. Vegemite, optional
1 large onion, cut into chunks
3-4 carrots, sliced
2 small turnips, peeled and cut into chunks
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
vegetable broth or water (if using water, also 3 TB veggie broth powder)
1 tsp. white miso
2 TB olive oil
1-2 TB summer savory
salt and pepper to taste
1 TB cornstarch mixed with a little water to dissolve
4 1" thick slices of firm tofu

Heat margarine and Vegemite in a large pot until it melts. Add onions, carrots, turnip and potatoes. Stir around and then add water or broth to cover. Add veggie broth powder if using water. Add miso, olive oil and summer savory. Bring to a boil and then add the cornstarch/water and lower heat to simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides of the tofu slices. Heat olive oil in a non stick pan and brown tofu on both sides. Cut into cubes and add to stew.