Maroon 5 ~ V Album
For me there is something beautiful about a skillet filled with summer veggies and herbs bubbling away. And every time you lift the lid to give them a stir the smell that invades your senses is a moment of bliss. Sometimes the most simple of dishes are often the best and most enjoyable. As we are drawing to the end of this years summer and there is a nip in the air...eating a bowl of a summer stew is most welcome.
I created this recipe for my Suma Bloggers Network post. Whilst making my selection for my order this time I found some dried beans I had never heard of before...Tatar Beans. Visually the dried beans are quite stunning and I was quite taken with the deep purple bean with its white swirl. I decided to cook them off and then taste test them before I started to create the recipe around them. I soaked them overnight and they doubled in size so after a good rinse and addition of fresh water I put them on the stove to cook. Thankfully they don't have a distinctive smell when boiling however they do scum up a lot and I found myself dredging the scum off quite a lot. But it is a rather impressive purple scum..lol. My beans were perfectly cooked in just over an hour. Sadly they lost some of their distinctive pattern in the cooking process but that didn't bother me too much. I cooked off 1 cup of dried beans and that yielded enough for this recipe and a good portion to go into the freezer. They are rather like a butter/lima bean in texture and shape and quite nutty in flavour. I instantly adored them.
I was craving a meal that was simple in both making and flavours and a light stew came to mind. Not a heavy, rich in sauce based stew but a light, herby and savoury stew crammed with fresh veggies and beans. Selecting the veggies was easy and having my friend there to help me chop was a blessing as I'm not back up to full kitchen duties just yet. Both of our mouths watered at the intense aroma at every stir. When the stew was cooked and we taste tested a small sample I knew this was a winner. The vegetables were perfectly cooked and individually bursting with flavour. The herbs lifted the natural flavours and the light sauce to another level and the added texture and flavour from the Tatar beans made this stew for me...comforting, satisfying and foodie heaven. Yes, you do need to cook off the beans first but it's not hard work...just have them simmering away whilst you do something else. Believe me..they are worth it.
Thank you to Suma for asking me to be part of the Suma Bloggers Network and I hope you take some time to check out their website. I hope you enjoy this recipe...we did! lol.
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| Rocket & Roses Tatar Bean and Vegetable Summer Stew |
Rocket & Roses Tatar Bean and Vegetable Summer Stew Serves 2-3
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen)
1 tsp sunflower oil
1 med onion, sliced
3 small carrots, peeled and chunked
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup swede, small dice
1 small fennel, trimmed and chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
8 fl oz low sodium veggie stock
1/2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried chives
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup cashew pieces
6 asparagus stalks, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces, tips separated from stems
1 1/2 cups of cooked Tatar beans
Freshly cracked black pepper
Himalayan salt to season to taste (optional)
Over a gentle heat, saute the onions, celery, carrots, swede in the oil until beginning to soften. Add in the fennel and garlic and stir well. Cover and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add in the tom paste and dried herbs and stir well. Cover and leave to cook for 10 minutes.
Stir in the asparagus stems and cashew nuts and cook, covered, until the stems are tender crisp. Stir in the Tatar beans and asparagus tips and cook until the beans are heated through..approx 3-4 minutes. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and Himalayan salt. Serve...
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope your week is a great one. We are preparing to set off on our road trip around Scotland..woo! Cannot wait..
~Red~
NB: This is my creation and I have no problem with you using this recipe or sharing it. I just ask that you give credit where it's due as I always try to...Thanks. Namaste ~R~
