Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
- 8 shallots, finely chopped
- 1tsp coriander seeds, coarsely crushed in a pestle and mortar
- 1 red or green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and diced
- 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and diced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 level tsp pimention picante (hot smoked paprika)
- 400g can organic butter eans, drained, or use lima beans
- 150g (51/2 oz) shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 100g (31/2oz) small whole okra, stem removed
- 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
- 1 large or 2 medium pumpkin or squash
- a small handful of roughly chopped coriander leaves, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C, 160C fan, 350F, gas 4. Gently warm the olive oil in a medium saucepan with a spoonful of water over a low heat. Add the shallots and stir until they turn translucent or golden. Add the coriander seeds and chilli, stir, and add the diced peppers, garlic, and pimentón picante. Add the beans and stir well to coat them in the spices. Season with salt and black pepper and then add the shiitake mushrooms, okra, and bay leaf to the pan.
- If you don't want to use a pumpkin, simply transfer the bean mix to a shallow ovenproof dish with a lid. Add a dash of water, cover with the lid, and bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with coriander leaves, and serve.
- If you want to bake and serve the baked beans in a pumpkin pot, cut the top off the pumpkin and reserve. Remove the soft centre and seeds, and remove a little of the flesh if necessary; the thicker the pumpkin wall, the longer it will take for the dish to cook.
- Smear the inside of the pumpkin with a little olive oil, season with a little salt, and add the bean mix and a dash of water. The pumpkin itself will add some liquid to the dish. Put on the pumpkin lid, place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 1 hour or until the pumpkin is cooked through.
- Remove the pumpkin lid, lift out the bay leaf and discard. Sprinkle the top of the baked beans with the fresh coriander, and bring the pumpkin to the table. To serve, dig the serving spoon into the pumpkin flesh so that each portion contains a mixture of both pumpkin flesh and beans.
