Butter Bean, Chickpea, Squash & Seaweed Ragu

Ingredients

100g cooked chickpeas (see tips)

100g butter beans (see tips)

1 butternut squash

500 ml vegetable stock (see tips)

1 dss seaweed-infused oil (see tips)

5 pieces frozen spinach

2 red peppers chopped into bite-sized chunks

1 can Thai Gold organic coconut milk

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 shallots chopped into bite-sized chunks

1 parsnip chopped into bite-sized chunks

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp cumin

1/4 cup toasted sweet kelp

1 tsp seaweed seasoning

1 tbsp walnuts

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds to garnish

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Place the butternut squash on a baking tray for 25 minutes.   Leave to cool.   Cut in half and remove seeds and skin, and chop the flesh into bite-sized chunks.
3. Heat oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Sauté peppers, shallots, parsnips, garlic and spices for 5 minutes or until they start to soften.
4. Add chickpeas, butter beans, squash, seaweed seasoning and vegetable stock.  Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer, partially covering with a lid.
5. Add the cream from the can of coconut milk, leaving the water behind and stir.   Add frozen spinach.
6. Let the stew simmer for 15 – 20 minutes until a thick stew has formed, and the stock has evaporated.  Add toasted sweet kelp.
7. Garnish with walnuts and pumpkin seeds.

Tips

•  To make vegetable stock, click here.
• If using fresh spinach, add 3 – 4  handfuls at the end until wilted.
• For the quick version used canned chick peas and butter beans, making sure to rinse thoroughly.   To batch cook chickpeas and butter beans, click here.
• To make seaweed-infused oil, click here.