Entry 17: Personal Favorite - Fereldan Bean and Vegetable Mash

Of all the nations of Thedas, there is one that I favor significantly. The many sovereignties within the Dragon Age universe offer us, the players, diverse and austere cultures to be immersed in. And while I enjoy Orlais and am fascinated by Kirkwall, Ferelden is dearest to my heart. It is a rich and rugged place that revels in its ancient history and folklore. It hosts demanding environments, from the deep Brascillian Forests in the east, to the wind-swept central valleys of the Bannorn, and further to the harsh and infamous Frostback Mountains marking its western boarder. From a previous entry, I briefly examined the Fereldan peoples have learned to appreciate form over function in many aspects of their lives to adapt and thrive in Ferelden's varied and asperous landscapes. There is so much of Ferelden that speaks to me on a personal level. I adore and greatly appreciate the natural world, especially dense, dark forests and sky-reaching mountains. And basic, yet delicious, foods. (My sense of fashion is pretty bland and practical, too.)

Source: Dragon Age Wiki, Ferelden

Here at my Skyhold, I am Maker-blessed to enjoy my own version of the mighty Frostbacks. And while the trails in the foothills are not as treacherous as the summer path out of Haven or as winding as those of the Hinterlands, they still present challenges and occasional dangers. I had the
misfortune recently of falling and injuring myself while hiking. The whole situation was a humorous and incredibly painful affair.

I had been worried lately that I was not enjoying the summer season enough and I was really looking forward to taking in the fresh, crisp mountain air as well as gazing upon the lush greenery of the trees. Instead, I fell and sprained my foot in the very beginning of my journey. Now I am spending much of my summer in a reclining chair, certain of a lack of sunlight and fresh air, with my foot propped up by cushions. The details of the story are on my Instagram if interested. I even managed to get a few nice images of the streams and trees before makeing my way to a healer.

Source: Dragon Age Wiki, Ferelden

As my Skyhold's head cook and resident mage, I had to think of clever ways to make meals without stressing or further injuring myself. After all, the sky may be split asunder and the plains may be on fire, but people still need to eat. Thankfully I had some help. A kind gamer friend sent me a low-maintenance, easy, and healthy meal I could make in quantity to enjoy for a full week! And the main ingredient is one of my favorite to work with as well as one of the healthiest of the Maker's creations: beans! There is something so satisfying and filling about well cooked beans and seasoned vegetables. I modified and personalized the recipe to my liking and I think it generally meets the standards for practicality often sought by the fertile valley's people.

So without further exposition, I am proud to present a nourishing personal favorite and original recipe: Fereldan Bean and Vegetable Mash.


To begin, I hobbled about my kitchen carefully to assemble my ingredients on my counter: Celery stalks, carrots, half of an onion I had diced earlier in the week, and some seasonings.

For the seasonings, I chose dill seeds, parsley, and a homemade blend of garlic powder and salt for a wholesome flavor with paprika for a bit of kick.

Then I placed my white beans  - also known as Navy or Great Northern beans - in my Instant Pot (remember, this mage prefers to make use of fine magical equipment).

If you do not have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, you an soak and cook your beans according to the packaging. Or you can use canned beans if you are short on time.

Spell cast and beans cooking!

And while my beans cooked, I peeled and chopped my carrots.

Then I chopped my celery stalks.

The white onion I had chopped ahead of time. It was initially for another recipe, but I chopped too much, so I am glad I saved it for an easy recipe like this one.

As my white beans continued to cook, I sauteed my onions with some water over medium heat on the stove.

Once slightly brown and softened, I added the carrots...

And the celery.

After about 5 to 8 minutes, I moved on to my favorite part: adding the seasonings. Check out the recipe below for the exact amounts.

At this point, my beans had finished cooking in my Instant Pot, but I needed to allow them to remain on the Warm setting for about 15 minutes to get them to a nice mash-able consistency.

I tasted some of my cooked vegetables and realized they needed more flavor. So I decided to add what I had left of my whole grain garlic mustard.

Then I turned the heat down to low, placed the cover on the pan, and stirred my vegetables occasionaly as I waited for the beans to finish cooking completely. Covering the vegetables is important to maintain moisture for a prolonged period. This helps soften the cooked vegetables. Stirring occasionally keeps them from sticking to your pan and burning. I cooked my vegetables for about 10 minutes on low and kept a small cup of water on hand to splash into the pan if anything became really stuck. You can also use a cooking oil, like olive oil, when you first prep the pan for cooking to avoid sticking and burning.

Mmm, looking wholesomely delicious!

At last, the beans were cooked and ready to be mashed!

I gently mashed the beans partially with my potato masher. I found that some of the beans were still a bit under cooked, but most were the perfect texture for mixing. And from here to the end, the steps were easy. I just added the beans to the vegetables, stirred everything together carefully, and then removed the pan from the hot stove.

Here we have a nearly finished product waiting to be served.

And served! Hearty, healthy, and delicious! Just what any Fereldan craves.

As stated above, I made enough to provide me with meals for a full week and this wholesome dish certainly made for excellent lunches. This bean and vegetable mash can be enjoyed right out of your favorite bowl with some ground pepper sprinkled on top, or spooned into toasted slices of bread. Add a little lettuce and tomato to that along with some more mustard, and you have a lovely sandwich to enjoy!

I enjoyed mine with toast on the side and some fresh, homemade orange-carrot juice. And because of my injury, I was off clean up duty! This is both a good and a bad thing, as I am basically a Senior Enchanter in the school of kitchen-cleaning magic and my roguish partner is not. But I expect to be fully on my feet again by next week. (Thank the Maker!)

You can store your bean and vegetable mash in your refrigerator for up to two weeks or in your freezer for up to two months.


Fereldan Bean and Vegetable Mash:

Ingredients:
1 c white beans, soaked overnight
1/2 white onion, chopped
5 or 6 carrots, chopped
6 or 7 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dill seeds
1/2 tsp paprika
1 Tbps whole seed mustard
A small cup or dish of water
(Optional: 1 Tbsp of olive oil instead of water, heat in pan before adding the onion)

Directions:
Begin cooking your beans in a pressure cooker or according to packaging. Add onion to a pan over medium heat, saute with water until slightly brown and soften. Add carrots and celery. Stir occasionally and allow to cook until slight soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Use water to scrape stuck or burnt vegetables from pan as needed.

Add seasonings and mustard, then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once vegetables are soft and beans cooked, remove cover and pour beans in with the seasoned vegetables and stir carefully until well mixed. Remove from heat, serve, and enjoy!



Many thanks to Discord user LuluDominari, who I met on The Viet Vegan Discord server, for the amazing recipe and cooking ideas. Maker smile on you, friend!


Like what you are reading? Great! Come back for a new entry on Thursday, August 23. And have a look at my previous entries for other recipes and Dragon Age-related trivia and oddities!

Have any friendly suggestions or cool ideas? Want me to veganize your favorite recipe? Please feel free to comment below. You can also email me at foodsofthedas@gmail.com, message me at AGSamuels on Reddit, or tweet me at @FoodsofThedas  on Twitter. You can also follow me on Instagram, @gourmetveganthedas.

If you try out any of my recipes, please share your results on social media using the hashtag (#)gourmetveganthedas.

Walk always in the Maker's light.

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Image Sources:

Dragon Age Wiki, Ferelden: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Fereldenfile=Ferelden_mountainside.jpg and http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Ferelden?file=Ferelden_countryside.jpg

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