Chilean lima bean and pumpkin stew

Name: Chilean lima bean and pumpkin stew
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: South American
Ingredients: 1 cup lima beans, soaked overnight; 3 tbsp olive oil; 2 tsp sweet Spanish-style paprika; 1 onion, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, chopped; generous sprig thyme; 1 bay leaf; salt; freshly ground pepper; 250g pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes; 200g can of piquillo peppers and their juice or 2 red peppers, roasted, peeled and cut into thick strips; 3 tbsp pepita kernels; coriander sprigs

Stephanie Alexander

October 19, 2011

Chilean lima bean and pumpkin stew.Rebecca Hallas

Time:1-2 hoursServes:6

The original inspiration came from an American travel magazine. Chile sounds absolutely fascinating with its mix of French, Spanish and Mapuche Indian culinary influences. The original version included fresh corn kernels, not available in our winter but they do add a subtle sweetness to the stew. I have substituted canned piquillo peppers, a great product, available from Spanish and Portuguese shops and specialist food stores.

Ingredients

1 cup lima beans, soaked overnight
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sweet Spanish-style paprika
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
generous sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
salt
freshly ground pepper
250g pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
200g can of piquillo peppers and their juice or 2 red peppers, roasted, peeled and cut into thick strips
3 tbsp pepita kernels
coriander sprigs

Method

Rinse soaked beans and put in a pot with fresh water. Bring to simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking water.
In a wide frying pan that has a lid, heat the oil and fry the paprika with the onion and garlic over moderate heat till soft (about 10 minutes). Add the drained beans, the thyme and the bayleaf and 1½ cups of the cooking water. Cover and cook gently for 20 minutes. Test beans and season with salt and pepper. If nearly tender add the pumpkin, cover again and cook until pumpkin and beans are cooked. Add the piquillo peppers or the pepper strips and leave uncovered until stew is moist but not sloppy.
To serve, scatter with pepita kernels and plenty of fresh coriander.