How to make winter stew of celery, chorizo and cannellini beans

Slow-cooked veg get a smoky and spicy kick with the addition of chorizo – ideal now that the cold nights have begun in earnest

Winter stew of celery, chorizo and cannellini beans

Serves 4-6

Prep: 15 minutes, plus soaking the beans overnight
Cook: Approx 1 hour 30 minutes

2 tbsp olive oil
6 shallots, sliced
250g chorizo, cut into 2cm slices 
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed 
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ head celery, each stalk cut into 3 pieces, plus a few leaves for garnish
1.5l chicken or vegetable stock
500g dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight in cold water 
2 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Small bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped 

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sweat the shallots until soft and translucent but not coloured at all.

Add the chorizo, turn up the heat a little and continue frying until the chorizo and shallots are lightly caramelised.

Add the garlic, smoked paprika and celery and fry for a further minute before pouring in the stock.

Finally add the drained beans and tuck in the bay leaves. Bring up to the boil and simmer steadily until the beans are soft and tender. This could take anything between an hour and an hour and a half depending on the dryness and age of the beans. Keep an eye on it and add a little cold water if it looks a bit dry at any stage.

When the beans are cooked, stir through the flat leaf parsley and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve in deep bowls scattered with a few celery leaves.

Recipe from lovecelery.co.uk