Chorizo and bean stew – an uplifting dish

It’s been just over a year since I posted a recipe on Family Feed – a busy year I might add. I started FF back in the lockdowns of 2020 and in that season I had time and space to share the food I cook for our family… food like this chorizo and bean stew. Cooking is a joyful act for me. Since being a little girl in my Mum’s kitchen I have loved the act of feeding people.

By the summer of 2021 and beyond I no longer had that spare time. With two young children, family life, the easing of Covid restrictions, work, taking on new professional qualifications, latterly starting a business with my husband and writing recipes every week – something had to give.

A relaxed approach to cooking

I cook in a very relaxed way. I am not so much for accurate measurements as I am for doing what feels good in the moment. So you can imagine that writing a recipe conflicts with my cooking style and robs me of some of the joy. I have to be accurate and this takes time that I just didn’t have.

I was also starting to feel exhausted after having a baby and toddler in the pandemic. So I decided to take a little break from Family Feed, to give myself space and time to do less and focus on my priorities. That break became a whole year!

And now here we are, life has shifted once again. I now run a business with my husband where we work remotely. Our eldest child has started school and I have a little more time on my hands… and the odd recipe to share.

A Cornish inspired, Chorizo and bean stew

This recipe is inspired by our time in Cornwall. Visiting our favourite spots, eating our way around the coast and swimming it off in the sea. In the summer we visited The Hidden Hut (Porthcurnick Beach) where I had the most superb hake, chorizo and bean stew with a view to die for. It was one of those moments where food, people and landscape came together to create something special. I’ve recreated a similar dish to share with you…

Uplifting Chorizo & Bean Stew

My version is cheaper with the hake removed (you could absolutely make it your own and add it back in). This stew remedies the shift from summer into autumn, it is warming but with a freshness that makes you feel nourished. While it is perfect for this time of year, I can see us eating this year round.

Make it your own!

I love to cook with permission to change and swap things about, so this recipe is not regimented. If you only have bell peppers in, it doesn’t matter. Or you have some green beans that need using, throw them in too. If you want some extra heat chop in a chilli. Basically make it your own.

I love that I can throw all the ingredients in the pot within 20 minutes and forget about dinner. Time saving is important to me. With two young children and a business I am busy, I need dinner to be fast and easy. But I equally want to cook food that is full of flavour and makes me happy. So if you are like me and you want to feed your family good, wholesome, simple food as often as life allows then this is one to try.

Family Feed – meal inspiration

Thank you for supporting Family Feed over the last few years. I’ve been amazed over this last year how much traffic the website has enjoyed despite no new content. It blows my mind that we have more visitors to the site now than ever before.

I am not sure when the next recipe will be and I like that flexibility. I no longer plan to hold myself to a commitment that doesn’t serve me. In this new season I am releasing myself from the temptation to take too much on and to stay focused on the bigger family and business priorities. However, there is joy in sharing my recipes, and I intend to keep it that way.

Do what works for you

If cooking conflicts with your joy and adds to your stress I hear you and acknowledge that experience. I don’t cook meals like this chorizo and bean stew every night. Baked potatoes and pasta are regulars on our menu. We have take aways and we have fish fingers in our freezer too. I hold balance as the most important part of feeding my family… do what works for your family and use my recipes for the odd bit of inspiration.

This platform is born from the idea that coming up with meal ideas is often half the battle, I use Family Feed as much for my own inspiration when I am writing our shopping list. I hope this recipe makes it way on to yours when life allows.

Uplifting Chorizo & Bean Stew

This stew remedies the shift from summer into autumn, it is warming but with a freshness that makes you feel nourished. While it is perfect for this time of year, I can see us eating this year round.I love that I can throw all the ingredients in the pot and forget about dinner. Time saving is important to me. I need dinner to be fast and easy. But I equally want to cook food that is full of flavour and celebrates the ingredients. So if you are like me and you want to feed your family good, wholesome, simple food as often as life allows then this is one to try.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr

Course Dinner

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 2 red onions chopped
• 2 white onions chopped
• 6 cloves garlic roughly chopped
• Thumb size piece of ginger roughly chopped
• 200-225 g chorizo roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp whole coriander
• 2 tbsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp paprika
• Big glug of extra virgin olive oil
• Carrots sliced diagonally at about 1cm thick
• Courgette sliced diagonally at about 1” thick
• 2 belle peppers cut in to large chunks
• 7 fresh piccerella peppers 1” thick slices (or 2-3 extra bell peppers if swapping)
• 2 tbsps tomato purée
• 1 tin chopped tomato
• 1-1.5 L vegetable stock
• 1 tin cannellini beans or any beans of your preference
• 1 tin chick peas
• 1 tbsp dried chilli flakes
• 2 handfuls of chopped parsley
• Parmesan to serve
• Toasted ciabatta with extra virgin olive oil drizzled on top
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Prepare your onions, garlic, ginger and chorizo and add it all to a large pot/pan along with the coriander seeds, cumin, paprika and olive oil.
• Move the pan to a medium heat, give it all a good stir and gently fry for 10 minutes until everything is soft, stirring every now and again. Take care not to burn. Add more olive oil if it is starting to catch.
• In the meantime prepare your carrots, courgette and all the peppers – then set aside
• Returning to your pan, everything should be soft, add the tomato purée, give it all a good mix and leave it to brown in the pan for a few minutes.
• Add the tinned tomatoes and vegetable stock to deglaze the pan, give it all a good stir, leave it on a medium heat for a few minutes.
• Now add the carrots, courgettes, peppers, cannellini beans and chickpeas. Give everything a good stir.
• Put the lid on the pan and bring to a gentle simmer for 5-10 minutes.
• Remove the lid and simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked to your liking. I like there to be a bit of bite in the veg when I serve.
• Depending on how thick you have chopped your veg will depend on cooking times so you might want to keep an eye on it and adjust accordingly. Don’t let the veg go too soft or you will lose the vibrancy of this stew. In doubt? Take out a bit of carrot and pepper and give it a taste.
• When you are happy that your stew is cooked to your liking this is the time to season. I take some out for the children at this point. Then add the chili flakes, salt and pepper to taste.
• Add a handful of chopped parsley. Give it one last stir and serve with some grated Parmesan, more chopped parsley and a slice of lightly toasted ciabatta drizzled with olive oil.

Video

Keyword bean, chorizo, stew