Bake your own haricot beans in a rich, savoury, tomatoey sauce for a couple of hours, and you may never fancy the tinned version again. Add some squid, which will cook to delicate tenderness, and you have a dish that's both earthy and exciting.
Ingredients (Serves four to six)
- 200g dried haricot beans
2 medium squid, cleaned
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp hot smoked paprika
A pinch of cayenne pepper
400g tin chopped tomatoes
The finely pared zest of ½ lemon
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Up to 750ml fish stock (or water)
½ glass sherry
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4-6 slices sourdough or ciabatta
Green salad, to serve
Extra-virgin olive oil, to serve
Cover the beans in plenty of cold water and soak overnight. The cleaned squid should come to you in three parts: the tubular bodies, the tentacles and the wings - all can go into the stew. Cut the body into 5-10mm thick rings, the wings into similar-sized strips and the tentacles into three or four pieces.
Heat a heavy-based saucepan, add the oil and, when hot, throw in all the squid. Fry for three to four minutes until just starting to brown, then add the onion, celery, garlic, fennel seeds, paprika and cayenne, and fry for five minutes, until the onion starts to soften.
Drain the beans and add to the pot along with the tomatoes, lemon zest, thyme, bay leaves, 500ml stock and the sherry. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for one to two hours, or until the squid and the beans are both really tender. Add more stock or water as required. Just before serving, season to taste.
Toast the bread and spoon the stew on top. Add a few salad leaves, trickle over some good olive oil, scatter with a little salt and take to the table.
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