Autumn Black-eyed Bean, Pumpkin and Chickpea Stew
Recipe from One Pot Feeds All by Darina Allen, published by Kyle Books One of the very best vegetarian one-pot dishes. What’s not to like about black-eyed beans, chickpeas and pumpkin with lots of spices? Delicious on its own, but equally good with a roas
SERVES
6
PEOPLE
Ingredients
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 x 2.5cm cinnamon stick
150g onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
225g fresh mushrooms, sliced approx. 3mm thick
450g pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cut in 2cm cubes
400g fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped or 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
a pinch of sugar
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
225g dried black-eyed beans, strained
110g dried chickpeas, strained
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp chopped coriander
For the Mint Yogurt
300ml natural yogurt
1 tbsp chopped mint leaves
Method
Drain the chickpeas and black-eyed beans. Pop into two separate saucepans, cover with fresh water, bring to the boil and cook until tender, this can take anything from 30-60 minutes. Drain and reserve the cooking liquid.
Heat the oil in a sauté pan over a medium-high heat. When it is hot, put in the cumin seeds and the cinnamon stick. Let them sizzle for 5-6 seconds, then add the onions and garlic. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until the onion is just beginning to colour at the edges. Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms wilt, then add the pumpkin or squash, tomatoes, ground coriander, cumin and turmeric, a pinch of sugar and the cayenne. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, then cover with a lid and cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and tip in the drained beans and chickpeas. Add the salt and pepper, together with 2 of coriander. Pour in 150ml of the bean cooking liquid and 150ml of the chickpea liquid. Return to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
To make the mint yogurt
Combine the yogurt with the chopped mint in a bowl.
Remove the cinnamon stick from the pan before serving and sprinkle with the remaining coriander. Spoon into serving bowls and top with a dollop of the mint yogurt. Accompany with a good green salad and rice, if you wish.
