Serves: 3-4 - Time:
You can either soak some beans overnight and cook them until tender or open a tin. I prefer borlotti beans over the usual haricot that are used in tinned baked beans, but cook with whatever you might have in the cupboard. These beans are great during the summer to serve with sausages and even a butterflied leg of lamb on the barbecue, or as a side dish with a baked potato during the colder months.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 100g streaky bacon, finely chopped
- ½-1 teaspoon chipotle paste (depending on how hot you like it)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (mild)
- ½ teaspoon hot paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon runny honey
- 400g tin borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
- 400g tin tomatoes
- 400ml chicken stock
- To serve purple basil leaves
Method
- Heat the oil in a saucepan or small cast iron casserole and add the onion, celery and garlic. Sauté over a gentle heat for 12-15 minutes, stirring regularly, until the vegetables are soft but not coloured. Add the bacon and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Stir in the chipotle paste, both paprikas, cumin and oregano and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the honey, beans, tomatoes (breaking them up a little as you stir) and stock. Turn the heat up slightly and bring to the boil.
- Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mixture is thick, without too much liquid. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve warm with some basil leaves.
