Bean Stew

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The Ingredients are:

Pulses (beans) usually sold in 500 grams packages.

Meat - turkey, chicken, beef.

Vegetables.

Water.

Seasoning if personally required.

Other requirements:

About 2.1/2 to 3 hours cooking.

List of ingredients

• Red Kidney Beans
• Haricot Beans (the beans used in baked beans)
• Chick Peas
• Butter Beans
• Cannellini Beans
• Pearl Barley
• Split yellow peas
• Red Lentils (orange in colour)
• Green Lentils
• Meat
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Parsnips
• Brussels Sprouts
• Onions
• Mushrooms

For your first experiment I suggest you cook enough for 3 helpings.

Put into a large bowl 3 tablespoons of

• Red Kidney Beans
• Haricot Beans (the beans used in baked beans)
• Chick Peas
• Butter Beans

Cover then with water, topping-up if necessary, and leave them to soak for at least 8 hours. A whole day is acceptable. Change the water at least once, preferably 2 or 3 times.

The beans will swell-up. Drain the beans, throwing away the water. They will look like this example.

Place in a pan and boil the beans for 15 minutes - don't simmer. You must boil the beans for 15 minutes to destroy the poisons in the beans. NEVER EVER eat raw beans. It could kill you.

After boiling, drain the beans and throw away the dark coloured water. Rinse well. Place in a large saucepan or cooking pot, cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer (the mixture will start to gently bubble).

You do not need to add meat but if you do it will enhance your experience of eating the bean stew.

Cut about 400 to 500 grams of meat (turkey, chicken, beef etc.) in about 2 centimetre cubes. You do not have to be precise. The meat will shrink in the cooking process.

Boil and simmer the meat in a separate saucepan for 10 minutes. Drain and throw away the water. Add the meat to the beans.

Prepare the vegetables. Your choice and quantity of vegetables can be as flexible as you wish. That is the advantage of Bean Stew - every batch is always slightly different.

• Rinse vegetables under a running cold tap.
• Do not peel-off the skins of potatoes, carrots or parsnips.
• Remove the tops and bottoms of carrots and parsnips.
• Remove damaged and discoloured outer leaves of the Brussels sprouts.
• Remove the brown outer layer from the onions.

Cut the vegetables into small chunks. The onions can be cut into smaller pieces. Add to the beans.

Keep the lid on and simmer for a total time of about 2.1/2 hours. Occasionally stir every 20 to 30 minutes.

Your stew will look similar. It's exact appearance will depend on the ingredients you have used. All colouring in the above photograph is completely natural.