The Recipe Room

Butter beans tend to have a fairly limited growing season in the UK – late spring to early summer.  They tend to do a little better in warmer climates, but you can grow them successfully in the UK.  Try planting them after the last frost and harvesting them 80-90 days later.

My butter bean and chorizo stew recipe uses large butter beans, which incidentally are low in fat and a great source of iron.  As we all know, we are fortunate enough to be able to buy butter beans pretty much year-round, either dried or with salty water in jars.  I usually buy them ready-to-use in jars, which avoids the overnight soaking and cooking stages.

I love to make this stew on those spring evenings that still have a chill in the air, on April shower days or crisp early May nights to warm and comfort the family. (Another great option is this bacon, carrot, butter bean and coriander soup.)

What you need:

• 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, or a little more, or less, to your taste
• 3-5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• 3 large carrots, washed and sliced into 1.5cm rounds
• ½ sweet chorizo sausage, cut into 1.5cm rounds
• About 500g jar large butter beans, ready to use.  Use a little more, or a little less – it doesn’t matter
• 600ml tomato-based pasta sauce
• 2 small tumblers of water, approximately

What to do:

1. In a large, heavy-based saucepan, fry the onions in the olive oil on a medium heat for a few minutes.
2. Add the garlic, carrots, chorizo and butter beans and continue to fry for around 5-10 minutes until the carrots begin to soften around the edges.
3. Pour in the tomato-based pasta sauce and stir to coat all of the ingredients.  Add a small tumbler or two of water until the sauce arrives at the consistency you like.
4. Bring the pan to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 – 40 minutes until the carrots are tender.

Great served with home-made garlic bread or Rosemary Focaccia to tear and dip.

15 minutes to prepare, 50 – 60 minutes to cook

Makes 4 generous servings