Vegetable Tagine with Butter Bean Mash

Vegetable Tagine

Ingredients for two

• One red onion peeled and sliced
• A crushed clove of garlic
• One small green, red and yellow pepper cut into small pieces
• Two sticks of celery finely sliced
• A couple of small potatoes peeled and cut into small wedges
• A small handful of chopped mushrooms
• Olive oil
• One teaspoonful of turmeric
• One teaspoonful of ground cumin
• One teaspoonful of ground coriander
• Harissa paste or fresh or dried chilli or chilli paste
• Sea salt and crushed black pepper
• Enough boiling water to cover the vegetables by about an inch

Method:

• Cook the onions in a little olive oil until soft and then add the garlic and cook making sure that it doesn't burn
• Add all the spices and cook-out for a minute of two stirring with a wooden spoon
• Add all the other ingredients plus hot water and allow to simmer until all the vegetables are tender

Butter Bean Mash

Ingredients:

• Two cups of dried butter beans that have been soaked in water for at least a couple of hours if not overnight. Or a can of cooked ones.
• Two cloves of garlic with skin on
• Olive oil or butter
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Fresh lemon juice (optional)

Method:

• Remove the hard outer skin from the beans...this should come off easily once soaked in water
• Cover with cold water, season and pop in the cloves of garlic. Cook the beans until soft enough to mash
• Drain the beans in a colander and then place them into a bowl. Remove the garlic cloves and take off the skins, squeezing the soft garlic pulp into the beans.
• Add butter or a little olive oil and lots of black pepper and then mash the mixture until smooth and creamy

This makes a lovely alternative to mashed potatoes. You may like to add a little squeeze of lemon juice but I think they're tasty with or without.....mmmm A lovely mid-week supper