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Bean Stews
Bean stews are quick to make, and freeze well. I've been making quite
a lot of make-it-up-as-you-go-along bean stews recently, with whatever
I happened to have around. These work well for people without much
time to cook as they incorporate vegetables as well as protein - if
you have time to do a side vegetable as well, so much the better.
The basic procedure is:
- Fry onions until golden and soft (I usually use olive oil for
these stews, but be careful if you're using, eg, Asian flavourings,
for which a milder-flavoured oil like sunflower or peanut (groundnut)
would probably be better).
- Add cooked, drained beans (I use canned), chopped garlic and
suitable liquid.
- Simmer for a bit, add chopped veg, simmer until done.
- Serve with something grain-based.
Here are some examples; it's fun to make up your own, though:
Peanut Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) Stew
- Onion base: Fry onions with some ground coriander
and cumin.
- Beans: Chickpeas (garbanzo beans).
- Vegetables: finely-sliced cabbage, thinly-sliced
carrots, chopped red peppers, sliced green beans, chunked chestnut
mushrooms.
- Liquid: canned chopped tomatoes (not too many),
vegetable stock (use stock powder or cube), few spoonfuls of
unsweetened peanut butter
- Serve with: Rice or couscous. Serve leftovers
cold in pitta bread.
I also have a
recipe using these guidelines.
Mediterranean Beans and Lentils
- Beans: Flageolet beans and Puy lentils (cook the
lentils in the liquid until almost done before adding the flageolets
at the same time as the vegetables)
- Vegetables: Thickly-chopped courgettes
(zucchini), red pepper and mushrooms.
- Liquid: Canned chopped tomatoes, water, sundried
tomato paste, Italian vegetable puree, red wine.
- Serve with: Rice, couscous, jacket potato,
ciabatta or pasta.
I also have a
recipe using these guidelines.
Mushroom and Blackeye Bean Stew
- Beans: Blackeye beans (blackeye peas).
- Vegetables: Chestnut mushrooms or other
strongly-flavoured mushrooms, chopped red peppers.
- Liquid: Mushroom stock (you can buy mushroom
stock cubes, or use a dark veggie stock), soy sauce.
- Serve with: Couscous or rice.
Mixed Bean Soup
- Onion base: Use plenty of good olive oil.
- Beans: Mixed beans (Sainsbury's sell cans of
mixed pulses that work very well).
- Vegetables: Sliced leek, chopped red peppers.
- Liquid: Canned chopped tomatoes, water or stock, plenty of
sundried tomato paste, lots of garlic paste.
- Serve with: Dense wholemeal bread or
ciabatta.
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Kake's Cookery Site -
http://www.earth.li/~kake/cookery
This page added 28 May 2001
(last amended 15 October 2008)
- comments and questions to Kake L Pugh (kake@earth.li).