Vegetable Stew Recipe

Today's main course recipe is for a simple but warming vegetable stew. Use this recipe as a guide, as you can very the beans and the vegetables used. Squashes and sweet potatoes are particularly good.

If you like stews with a bit of a kick to them, then add some chillies to the onion when frying. Essentially you can add any flavours or ingredients that you like to the basic recipe here.

Vegetable Stew

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 parsnips, peeled and diced
2 celery sticks, chopped
250g (8 oz) swede, peeled and diced
600ml (2 1/2 cups) hot vegetable stock
400g (14 oz) tin of tomatoes
420g (15 oz) tin of butter beans, drained
1 handful of parsley, chopped

Method:

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and fry slowly for 5 minutes. Now add the other vegetables, cover and fry over medium heat for 5 minutes, so that they begin to soften.

Pour the stock and tinned tomatoes into a casserole dish. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the beans and cook for 5 minutes more, or until the vegetables are tender.

Sprinkle over the chopped parsley and serve.