Tapas: Butterbean Stew

Butterbean Stew

The soft butterbeans in this Spanish stew accompany a Mediterranean tomato sauce filled with a tantalizing mix of spices. This dish is very easy to make and always popular when part of a tapas feast.

Serves: 2 as a main meal or 6, as part of a tapas dinner.

1 Medium Spanish onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 x 250g can butterbeans
1x 250g chopped tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Fry the onion in a little olive oil until soft, add the garlic for a few minutes and stir in the paprika, cumin and cayenne pepper. Cover the onions with the spices then add the chopped tomatoes and half fill the empty tin with water (adding this to the mix too), bring to boil and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the butterbeans and continue to cook through for a further 5/10 minutes.
I usually cook this dish the day before or a few hours ahead of time to allow the flavours to develop. I then quickly re-heat before serving.

M: If I'm cooking this dish as a main meal and I'm in need of a meat fix, I often separately fry a few slices of chorizo and stir into my portion before serving. 

V: If I'm having chorizo, I sprinkle the Vegetarian's dish with a few cubes of Manchego cheese.