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.
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.