Bkeila, potato and butter bean stew

Ingredients#

Makes 4 portions.

• 600 g baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 30 g parsley
• 80 g coriander plus extra to serve, roughly chopped
• 120 ml olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 1.25 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 0.75 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1.5 teaspoon caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus wedges to serve
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 500 g waxy potatoes, cut into 3cm pieces
• 425 g butter beans (drained weight)

Method#

1. In a food processor, pulse the coriander 80 g , parsley 30 g and spinach 600 g in batches, until finely chopped (or do so by hand), then scrape into a bowl.
2. Put 75 ml oil in a large, heavy-based pot on a medium heat. Add the onion and fry gently, stirring occasionally, for eight minutes, until soft and golden.
3. Add the garlic 5 cloves , chilli and spices, and cook, stirring regularly, for six minutes. Turn up the heat to high, add the chopped spinach mix and 3 more tablespoons of oil, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the spinach turns a dark green, almost grey colour. You want it to catch a bit, but not to burn, so turn down the heat if need be.
4. Stir in the sugar 1.5 tsp , lemon juice 2 tbsp , stock 1 l and 2 teaspoons of salt, scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula as you do so. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat to medium, add the potatoes 500 g and cook gently for 25 minutes, until they are soft all the way through. Stir in the butter beans 425 g and cook for five minutes, until warmed through.
5. Off the heat, stir in the roughly chopped extra coriander, then divide the stew between four bowls. Drizzle over some more oil and serve with the lemon wedges.

Notes#

• Bkeila is a Tunisian Jewish condiment made by cooking lots of spinach in lots of oil for many hours, leaving you with a very dark, intense paste that’s traditionally used to flavour soups and stews. This version is simpler – less oil, fewer hours – but it still delivers on the flavour front. It will keep in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for up to a month.