Bean Bowls + Stews, Vegan, Vegetarian -
Paprika Bean Stew with Red Peppers
HUGE thanks to the legend that is Ollie Hunter who let us share this #beanspo on our website for all you champs to enjoy.
This recipe features in Ollie's book 30 Easy Ways to Join the Food Revolution: A sustainable cookbook’. (Pavilion Books).
Category
Stew
Author:
Ollie Hunter
This a great meal to have when red peppers are in season, or perhaps you can use your own Homemade Paprika (page 85 of Ollie’s book), preserved red peppers and jarred tomatoes for when summer veg supplies are meagre.
"If you eat meat, this a great opportunity to be sustainable and use those parts of the animal that might normally be thrown away, like pork bones or leftover chicken from the wings. And if you’re feeling particularly luxurious, small amounts of items like chorizo or cured ham can go a long way – only a little bit of chorizo will add delicious flavour and you can save the rest for tomorrow night’s pizza topping." Ollie Hunter
Ingredients
1 Jar of Organic White Beans or Queen Butter Beans*
oil, for frying
2 onions, diced
6 garlic cloves, diced
2 red peppers deseeded, stalks removed + roughly chopped (or you can use preserved jarred whole peppers, roughly chopped)
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp dried oregano
250 g/9 oz tomatoes, canned or fresh + chopped
1 large bunch of fresh parsley
Directions
Put some glugs of oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the diced onions + garlic + sauté until soft.
Add the roughly chopped red peppers + season with salt – if you’re using fresh peppers, continue cooking until they are soft + caramelized, but if you’re using preserved peppers you can skip straight to the next stage. We want the peppers to be soft + squidgy – which brings out the sweetness + intensifies the flavour.
Add the paprika + oregano + cook for a further minute, then add the tomatoes. Add a ladle of the reserved bean cooking water, turn the heat to low–medium + simmer gently for 25 minutes. We’re concentrating the flavours here, allowing them to meet + become great friends.
Add the beans to the tomato sauce + stir. Add another ladle of the reserved bean cooking water + continue cooking for another 15 minutes, allowing the beans to absorb the other flavours + release their own starch + creaminess.
Serve the stew, scatter with fresh parsley + eat with a chunk of bread to mop up the juices.
Recipe Note
In the original recipe, Ollie cooked his beans from scratch! See below the ingredients + recipe if you wish to do this too!
Ingredients
200 g/7 oz/scant 1¼ cups dried beans of your choice (cannellini or borlotti are great here)
1 onion, peeled + halved
3 fresh bay leaves
Method
Soak the beans for 24 hours in lots of cold water before using.
Drain the beans + transfer to a large saucepan with 2 litres/3½ pints/ generous 8½ cups of water, the onion + bay leaves. Cook over a medium heat for about 45–60 minutes until the beans are soft, topping up the water as needed. Drain again, reserving the cooking water but discarding the onion + bay leaves.
Image credit to Louise Hagger.
