Bean Stew Recipe

Ingredients

• 10½ oz (300 g) carico beans (try pinto beans as a substitute)
• 2 pinches of pimentón dulce (sweet paprika)
• 1 oz (30 g) red pepper
• 1 oz (30 g) green pepper
• 1 large whole onion, peeled
• 1 small tomato, peeled
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled
• 1 oz (30 g) pumpkin (optional), peeled
• 2 medium onions, peeled & finely chopped
• 2½ oz (75 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of salt, to taste

1. Wash the beans and put them to soak in plenty of cold water for 24 hours.
2. Put the beans and the water used to soak them, adding a little extra if necessary, in a large saucepan and add a pinch of paprika.
3. Chop the peppers, the large onion and the pumpkin (if used) into large chunks (so that they can easily be removed later), and add to the water with the tomato and garlic. Cook over a medium heat until it begins to boil.
4. When the water boils, skim off the froth to keep the broth clear, then lower the heat. Simmer for one hour with the saucepan lid on, and for another hour with the saucepan lid off.
5. Put the finely chopped onions in a frying pan and cook in olive oil on a very low heat for about an hour until translucent.
6. Add the fried onions to the beans, and add another pinch of paprika.
7. Remove most of the vegetable chunks, and blend them with a liquidiser, then add the resulting vegetable cream to the bean mixture. Season to taste.