Stewed Red Beans with Onion and Tomatoes Recipe
The variety of bean dishes in world cuisines is simply amazing. Beans stewed in tomato sauce can be either a soup or a main course much like a bean ragout, depending on how thick you make them. Beans go into soups and ciorbas, all kinds of sides and salads, preserves, and even pies. A meatless bean soup is a very filling first course, easy to make and loved by almost everyone.
Common beans are an extremely valuable food, second only to soy in popularity among legumes. They are packed with protein very similar to meat protein, which is why beans are eaten all over the world. There are up to a hundred species of beans, grown mainly for the dry seeds, but also for green pods and even for the flowers.
The most widespread kind of bean comes from South America and grows either as a climbing vine or as a bush. Most bean species, however, are grown as ornamentals.
Red kidney beans are beautiful and good for you: they are rich in B vitamins, which matter for immunity and the nervous system. Red beans are also a great source of fibre — just 100 g of dry red beans a day fully covers your daily fibre needs. Unfortunately, red beans can also do harm if eaten raw. The toxic substances they contain break down quite quickly when cooked.
Cooking dry beans without soaking them first is next to impossible — you will most likely end up with mush. A long soak in cold water speeds up cooking and lets the beans cook evenly.
Stewed beans are made from beans that have already been boiled until tender. Stewing is a cooking method where food is heated in a small amount of liquid or sauce — something between boiling and frying. It is often called braising, which is also how you cook beans with meat. Stewed bean dishes are known all over the world, and probably the most famous of them is lobio. Beans with tomatoes and onion, simmered in a little liquid, make a great dish for a good lunch or dinner. Just remember to soak the beans the night before, as you would for bean soup without potatoes on pork belly.
Ingredients
2 servings
- Dry red beans 1 cup
- Onion 1-2
- Ripe tomatoes 0.5 kg
- Olive oil 2 tbsp
- Garlic 2-3 cloves
- Dill 2-3 sprigs
- Ground black pepper, salt, sugar, nutmeg to taste
Step-by-step recipe
- You can stew any variety of beans. What matters is that the beans cook through while staying whole. Rather than the smallest beans, use elongated crescent-shaped ones. I don't know why, but they cook much better and taste better too. Best of all are large red kidney beans, which are indispensable for chili con carne.
- Sort through the beans, rinse them thoroughly and remove anything unwanted. Rinsing them under a thin stream of running water is a very effective way to clean them. Then cover the beans with cold water and put them in the fridge to soak. Soak for at least 6 hours. Ideally, soak them in the evening and cook the stewed beans the next day.
- The next day, cover the beans with fresh cold water and put them on to boil. Once the water boils, lower the heat slightly so it barely simmers, and leave the pot uncovered. Don't rush the cooking: at a rolling boil the outside of the beans will most likely turn mushy while the inside is still raw. Check for doneness fairly often, too. Bean cooking time is a law unto itself, but in any case it takes at least half an hour. Drain the cooked beans in a colander and transfer them to a deep bowl, then cover it with a plate so the beans don't dry out.
- Peel the onion and cut it into thick strips. By the way, you can add even more onion to the stewed beans. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan.
- Fry the onion in olive oil until golden. Do it over high heat with the pan uncovered, stirring fairly often so it browns evenly.
- Add the boiled beans, drained of any remaining water, and finely chopped garlic to the fried onion. Season the beans and onion with salt and pepper. Fry for 1-2 mins, stirring.
- Pour boiling water over fresh, very ripe tomatoes, then remove the skins and seeds. Blend the tomato flesh into a purée. If the tomatoes aren't very ripe, you can add 1 tsp of good tomato paste.
- Pour the tomato purée over the onion and beans, add half a cup of boiling water, 1 tsp of sugar and a pinch of ground nutmeg. Stir well. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat and cover the pan with a lid.
- The beans will stew for 20 mins. The tomato sauce should barely simmer the whole time — a vigorous boil is absolutely not allowed.
- After 20 mins, remove the lid and turn up the heat. Depending on your preference, the stewed beans can be as thick as a hearty soup or a ragout. Any excess liquid should boil off.
- Serve the stewed beans with onion and tomatoes only hot, straight after cooking.
- Sprinkle the stewed beans with very finely chopped dill and serve.
- Stewed beans take about half an hour to cook, provided you have soaked the dry beans in advance. Stewed red beans are delicious with toasted bread or corn tortillas.
| Yield: | 2 servings |
| Calories: | 135 kcal per 100 g |
| Prep: | 6-8 hours (soaking) |
| Cooking: | 30 mins |
| Ready in: | 6-8 hours including soaking |
| Category: | Main Dishes › Vegetables and Mushrooms |
| Cuisine: | European |
| Rating: |
⭐
⭐
⭐
⭐
⭐
4.6
(8)
|