Recipe: Butter bean and chorizo stew with kale

Published on Sunday 21 February 2010 11:45

ONE of the things that always cheers me up when the weather is grey and miserable outside is a big bowl of home-made soup. The 'fresh' stuff sold in the supermarket chiller cabinet may be convenient, but there always seems to be something inherently missing flavour-wise.

If you can prepare a decent home-made soup though, you should really consider taking your skills one step further, by making a thick and hearty stew.

I came up with this cracking recipe one weekend when experimenting at home, and now it's a firm family favourite. There's something about the sweet and smoky flavour of the chorizo, combined with the nutty garlic and the creaminess of the beans and melting aubergine that is addictive. Chuck in the kale and tomatoes for extra goodness and colour and you have a meal in a bowl.

At the Cook School, one of our most popular classes is our Tapas Day. This was born of my love for those inspired Spanish flavours of smoky paprika, chilli, red pepper, chorizo and good olive oil, not forgetting the humble white bean (judion in Spanish). These beans can be tricky to get, so I often use butter beans instead, which are as delicious as they are versatile. Of the myriad of stews out there to choose from, my personal favourites always include butter beans. Known for their delicate creaminess and ability to break down and thicken a stew perfectly, they are the ideal base ingredient.

Choosing the right type of butter beans is vital, though. I often hear people saying they are nervous about using the dried variety, but they are by far the best option, though they will need to be soaked in plenty of cold water overnight before you cook them.

In addition to butter beans, the heart of a good soup or stew lies in its stock. Now I know I really bang on about this, but a good stock is not hard to make. Most of us have freezers nowadays, so every time you have a roast chicken, break up the carcass, shove it in a bag and freeze it. When you have two or three, then you have enough, but remember to include plenty of veggies too. You will need to boil it, strain it and reboil until well reduced, then freeze in small pots or ice cube trays. It will be much better than a stock cube and the whole process doesn't take much effort. Just let it bubble away while you do something more interesting.

So, with the right beans and a good, hearty stock you are almost ready to start making your stew. What of the other ingredients though?

My preference when it comes to sausage is chorizo, for the incredible flavour and colour they bring, especially when cooked with garlic and onion. This releases the most amazing oil that you can strain off and drizzle over the stew at the end.

The aubergine, meanwhile, will gradually break down and melt adding a brilliant silky texture. The other components are favourites of mine too: red peppers, juicy tomatoes and, for colour, vitamins and even more texture, kale (if you don't like it, use spinach instead).

These wonderful ingredients will create a delicious, warming stew with a hint of the Spanish sun to lift your spirits.

I'm off to make it again now – all of this writing coupled with a ride on my mountain bike has made me ravenous.

Butter bean and chorizo stew with kale

Serves four to six

350g dried butter beans, soaked overnight

50ml olive oil

4-5 garlic cloves, chopped

225g chorizo sausage, sliced diagonally

1 onion, sliced

150ml white wine

1 celery stick, chopped

2 red peppers, seeded and roughly chopped

1 medium aubergine, cut into bite-sized cubes

1 litre chicken or vegetable stock

a few small potatoes, halved (optional)

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

200g fresh young kale, washed and shredded

2-3 ripe tomatoes, quartered

2-3 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or coriander

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Drain the beans, put into a large saucepan and cover with plenty of cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for about one hour or until really soft and tender. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the garlic, cook for a few seconds then add the chorizo. Cook, stirring every now and then until lightly browned, then add the onion and a couple of tablespoons water and continue to cook over a low heat for about ten minutes or until the onion has softened. The oil should take on a lovely rusty orange colour from the chorizo.

Now add the wine and boil fast until it has reduced to a couple of tablespoons. Tip the whole lot into a large saucepan and add the celery, peppers and aubergines and cook over a medium heat for a good ten minutes, moving the veggies around so they don't stick. Once the veggies look softened, pour in the stock, add the potatoes, the thyme and half the cooked butter beans, season well with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring about three times so that the beans and aubergines begin to break up and thicken the stew (if it is getting too thick add more stock or water).

Cook the kale in boiling salted water for five minutes, drain then refresh in a bowl of cold water to set the colour.

To finish the stew, stir in the remaining butter beans, the tomatoes and the kale. Bring to the boil, taste and season again and ladle into warm bowls. Scatter over the coriander or parsley, spoon the stew into deep warmed bowls and serve with some fresh crusty bread.

Critical points

Check the beans are really tender when you cook them, and don't add salt to the water – this will toughen them.

Watch that the garlic doesn't catch and burn when initially frying it – just add a tablespoon of water to stop this.

Make sure the chorizo gets a bit of colour on it as this will add to the flavour.

Reduce the wine as much as possible in order to boil off the taste of raw alcohol.

Give the stew a good stir every now and then to break up the beans and give a thick creamy texture.

As always, keep checking the seasoning.

This article was originally published in Scotland on Sunday on 21 February 2010