Smoky Sweet Potato & Bean Stew

Ingredients

• 900 g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 red peppers, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 2 tbsp chipotle paste
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 2 x 400 g tins chopped tomatoes
• 400 ml hot vegetable stock
• 1 x 400 g tin black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 x 400 g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 150 g kale, stalks removed and leaves chopped
• 1 lime, juice only
• 15 g coriander, roughly chopped
• Fine salt and black pepper
• 1 x 400 g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 lemon, zest and juice

Method

1. Heat half the olive oil in a wide casserole over a medium-high heat. Brown the sweet potato in two batches for 5 to 6 minutes, until the edges are bronzed. Lift onto a plate; crowding the pan would steam the pieces and leave the stew flat.
2. Add the remaining oil, onions and peppers with a pinch of salt. Cook for 8 minutes, until soft and beginning to colour.
3. Add the garlic, chipotle paste, smoked paprika, cumin and ground coriander. Stir for 1 minute, until the paste darkens and the spices smell rounded. Add the sugar, tomatoes and stock, scraping up the browned bits from the base.
4. Return the sweet potato and simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until almost tender and the sauce has reduced around it.
5. Add the black beans, butter beans and kale. Simmer for another 5 minutes, until the beans are hot, the kale is tender and the sweet potato yields to a knife without collapsing.
6. Add the lime juice, Taste and add salt or black pepper if needed. Finish with the coriander. The lime should lift the smoke, not make the stew sour.