Step 1

Place rinsed porcini mushrooms (they often have grit in them) in a small bowl and cover with (about 300 ml / 1½ cups) of boiling water to create a potent porcini stock. Set aside to let it infuse.

Step 2

Chop fresh mushrooms into thick slices or quarters. I did half and half.

Step 3

Heat up olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add diced onion and sauté on a low heat until slightly caramelised. Add chopped garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.

Step 4

Add chopped mushrooms, carrots and celery sticks and sauté on a low heat until slightly caramelised. If the pan gets too dry, add a couple of tablespoons of porcini stock you prepared earlier.

Step 5

Add tomato paste, a crumbled stock cube, wine, the rest of porcini stock (about 300 ml / 1½ cups in total), fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary and bay leaves), liquid smoke (if using) and salt. I save rehydrated porcini mushrooms for another use (like this bolognese), but you can also just chop them finely and add to the stew if you wish.

Step 6

Cover the pot with a lid and allow the stew to cook on low heat for about 30 minutes or so until all the veggies are cooked through and the flavours have had a change to mingle.

Step 7

In a small bowl, mix 4 tsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water to create a slurry to thicken up the stew.

Step 8

Add cornstarch slurry to the stew and allow the stew to bubble gently for 5 more minutes for the stew to thicken. If the stew is too thick add a splash more water.

Step 9

Add chopped kale leaves in the final minutes of cooking, put the lid back on for a few more (2-minutes for the kale to cook in the stew's steam.

Step 10

Adjust the seasoning to your taste. I added some freshly ground pepper and two teaspoons of balsamic vinegar.

Step 11

Steam, boil or roast cubed celeriac until soft. Roasting requires 200° C / 390° F (or 180° C / 355° F fan forced) hot oven for about 30 minutes.

Step 12

Place cooked celeriac in a blender (a hand blender works well too) with some almond milk. Blend until smooth adding more milk as / if needed.

Step 13

Season with roasted garlic and miso paste. You may also want to add some olive oil or vegan butter if you wish, for extra creaminess.