A hearty Italian inspired pumpkin stew with cavolo nero, borlotti beans and barley. It's an easy one pot plant-based meal which is perfect for colder autumn days and nights. Make it once and welcome a new staple to your table. Eat with crusty bread.
200gwinter squashpeeled and deseeded weight (I used half a small uchiki kuri squash originally weighing 700g)
400gcooking tomatoesroughly chopped
400ggtinned borlotti beans240g drained weight - rinsed and drained
100mlred wine(make sure it's vegan friendly if needed)
200mlwater
200gcavolo nero (black kale)washed and drained
Instructions
Peel the onion and finely dice it. Trim the carrot and celery and finely dice those too. This is to make soffritto.
Warm the oil over a medium low heat in a heavy bottomed pan with a lid. I use my cast iron casserole.
Add the onion, celery and carrot to the pan and fry, stirring occasionally for about fifteen minutes. The veg should be cooked, but not browned.
Throw in the pot barley, herbs and a splash of water. Cover the pan and leave to simmer gently for five minutes.
Cut the squash into chunky pieces and add to the pan along with the salt and a little more water. Cover the pan again and simmer for a further ten minutes.
Add the tomatoes and garlic followed by the beans, wine and remaining water. Cover the pan and simmer gently for a further ten minutes.
Finally, shred the cavolo nero finely and add to the pan. Simmer for a further ten minutes.
Stick a knife in the squash to check if it's tender. If you think a bit more cooking is required, carry on for a bit longer. We quite like a bit of chew to our kale, but if you don't you might want to continue cooking for a few more minutes.
Check for seasoning. If you think it needs more salt, add some and give it a good stir. I like a bit of ground black pepper too.
Ladle into bowls and serve with some crusty bread.
Notes
Swap the pot barley for farro, other wheat berries or even pearl barley. If you need a gluten-free grain, go with short grain brown rice.You can use a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes instead of fresh.Try twelve finely chopped sage leaves instead of the thyme.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.