Jamie's Smoky Black Bean Stew (Slow Cooker)

Source video by Jamie Oliver on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules.

Half a butternut squash (skin on, in 3 cm chunks) and three peppers roast separately at 200C for 30-35 minutes, each with a tsp of oil and a tsp of either ground coriander (squash) or smoked paprika (peppers). On the hob, 1 tbsp of oil softens 4-6 bay leaves and 4 garlic cloves, then onion cooks gently with splashes of water instead of more oil. Balsamic vinegar deglazes; two tins of black beans (juice and all) plus half a tin of water each go in. The roasted veg join, 100 g of okra slices in as a natural thickener, and the lot transfers to the slow cooker on Low for 4 hours. A quick salsa of tomatoes, chilli, onion, coriander and the zest and juice of a lime makes during the last minutes. Serve over brown rice with a dollop of yoghurt and the fresh salsa scattered over.

Ingredients

• 0.5butternut squash, skin on, deseeded, cut into 3 cm chunks
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1 tspolive oil (for squash)
• 3peppers, sliced
• 1 tspsmoked paprika
• 1 tspolive oil (for peppers)

• 1 tbspolive oil
• 5bay leaves
• 4garlic cloves, crushed
• onions, chopped
• balsamic vinegar
• 2 tintinned black beans (with juice)
• 400 mlwater (for rinsing the bean tins)
• 100 gokra, finely sliced

• 2ripe tomatoes, deseeded, finely chopped (add late)
• 0.25onion, finely chopped (add late)
• 1fresh chilli, finely chopped (add late)
• fresh coriander, chopped (add late)
• 1lime, zest and juice (add late)

• brown rice, cooked (add late)
• natural yoghurt (add late)

• salt and black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C. Tip the butternut squash chunks into a roasting tray with a pinch of salt and pepper, 1 tsp of ground coriander and 1 tsp of olive oil. Toss to coat. On a second tray, do the same with the sliced peppers, 1 tsp of smoked paprika and 1 tsp of olive oil. Roast both for 30-35 minutes.

   ~35 min

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the bay leaves, then the crushed garlic. As they perfume the oil, add the chopped onions.

   ~2 min

3. Soften the onions with restraint: instead of pouring in more oil, splash in a small cup of water whenever the pan starts to dry. The water stops the hard fry, spreads the heat and softens the onions over about 6-8 minutes.

   ~8 min

4. Once the onions are soft and sweet, add a splash of balsamic vinegar and turn the heat back up. Tip in two tins of black beans with their juice. Half-fill each empty tin with water, swish, and pour that in too.

   ~3 min

5. Tip the whole pan into the slow cooker. Scrape the roasted squash and peppers in with their tray flavour (use a small splash of water in the pepper tray to release the caramelised juices). Stir in the 100 g of sliced okra.

   ~4 min

6. Lid on. Cook on Low for 4 hours (or High 2.5 hours).

   ~240 min

7. Make the salsa in the last 5 minutes: combine the chopped tomatoes, quarter onion, chilli, chopped coriander and the zest and juice of the lime. Pinch of salt.

   ~5 min

8. Taste the stew and adjust salt. Serve over brown rice with a dollop of yoghurt and the salsa scattered over.

   ~3 min

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