Making it up as you go along...

Today I decided that I wanted to make something warming and hearty. A stew would be nice.. so in my usual way, I decided to just go for it & make one, deciding as I went along what I was going to do. I find these recipes (if you can call them that! ) are the ones I go back to again and again, this one being no different!

Again this doesn't take long to prepare, so no excuses that there isn't enough time! I got this ready to leave bubbling away in the pan in less time than it took to listen to my favourite album of the moment by Mr & Mrs, which contains just the 10 quality tracks.

So here goes...I don't have a name for it so it's going to be, "Spicy make it up as you go along Hotch-Potch Stew... "

Ingredients: (serves 4)

2 cloves of garlic
2 small fresh chillies
3 teaspoons of paprika
a large glass of red wine
1 tables spoon of olive oil
100g of green beans
1 tin of back eyed beans
1 tin of cannellini beans
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
1 large onion
1 carton of freshly chopped tomatoes
5 large potatoes peeled and cut into halves
2 tea spoons of veg stock
a few drops of Tabasco
1 desert spoon of butter or alternative
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Heat a large casserole/sauce pan, and add the olive oil, paprika, Tabasco, half the red wine, and a pinch of salt and pepper. (dependant on your taste for spice, you can reduce the chilli amount or lose the Tabasco.. but I like it hot!)

Chop the garlic, chillies, onion and pepper, and add to the hot pan, coating in the oil and wine mixture. Put the lid on and cook for about 5 minutes on a medium heat.

Add the rest of the wine, the chopped tomatoes, and the beans (all 3 types). Stir all this through. Then add the potatoes, and fill with enough water to cover all the veg. Add the stock and stir thoroughly, then as the mixture begins to boil add the butter (this helps the sauce to thicken once reduced).

Turn the heat down to minimum, and then go and do something else exciting for about 1 hr 45 mins (although you may need to pop back for a quick stir).

This is one of those dishes that benefits from slower cooking. The longer and slower you simmer, the more the flavours begin to fuse. It has a short preparation time, and no effort to let it cook down nicely, just a little patience if you are hungry!

Once it has reduced down and the sauce thickened check the spuds are done (nothing worse than a hard spud.. but if you've left it long enough they will be nicely cooked!), and then enjoy with a nice warm crusty roll! (If your sauce is too thin add a little more butter, leave to cool then bring to the boil again).

Easy, hearty, made up in an instant, and not too fattening!

Jane x