Eddy's Andalusian mushroom, chickpea and butterbean stew

Virgin Radio

2 Nov 2022, 09:54

It’s mushroom season and this recipe will have everybody at the table give you, at the very least, a high five, more likely a massive hug and in some cases ask you to bear or sire their children, if you haven’t already. 

It’s seasonally on point for autumn, full of meaty mushroom flavours but the clincher, the thing that *makes* this recipe is the ‘thickener’. It’s a technique from a classic garbanzos (chickpea) stew from a place called Baza, in Southern Spain. While the stew is bubbling away, you pound a few simple ingredients in a pestle and mortar and when you add them to the stew at the end, it makes it unctuous and delicious, a flavour and texture kaboom!

INGREDIENTS 

FOR THE STEW

Mushrooms. Lots. Preferably wild mushrooms, foraged or bought. (See note below)* if you’re buying ‘normal’ mushrooms from the supermarket then try getting those speciality mixed mushrooms, usually oysters and king oysters and shiitake. Those are great. Get a box of those. A box of chestnut mush and a box of shiitake. 

1 large white onion

2 peppers, any colour, I used red. They kinda disappear and become part of the background flavour.  

Garlic. Much as you like. I used 2 big cloves. (You’re adding more garlic later)

Smoked paprika (hot or sweet, I used both)

1 can of chickpeas drained 

1 can of butterbeans drained (of course use your own dry pulses if you can be bothered to prep them) 

Salt and pepper 

Veg stock (enough to just cover the stuff - meat stock fine if that’s how you roll)

Chorizo (vegan or real) OPTIONAL ** see note below (a good handful, 150-200g+ whatever you feel you want)

Extra virgin olive oil

Less burny oil to fry the mushrooms 

Thyme and Rosemary (fresh or dried)

FOR THE THICKENER

1-2 slices of bread (whatever you have)

2 eggs (skip if you’re vegan)

2 garlic cloves 

A handful of parsley 

METHOD

Clean the mushrooms how you like to clean them. I avoid water and use a damp J cloth. If you soak them then the stew will be a little more watery so maybe add a touch less stock. 

Now, fry the mushrooms in batches in a hot, thick bottomed pan. A little oil. Season with salt and pepper as you go. If they’re small/medium, keep them whole. Halve the big ones. You want nice big chunks as this will cook for a long time. Throw them in and leave them for a minute or two. Give them a chance to caramelise. That’s where the flavour comes from.  Don’t be tempted to move them around straight away or the water comes out and they end up boiling. You want a Maillard reaction here, you want a little scorchio to happen. I wait a couple of minutes til I can see them really catching then I turn them. When they’re all browned at least on one side, set them aside.  

In the same pan, fry your onion, chopped, in olive oil until it’s soft. Season as you go. Then chop your peppers and add them. Now chop and add the garlic. Add the herbs too. A few sprigs of fresh thyme if you have it, a sprig of Rosemary (it’s stronger). Dried is fine, a generous sprinkle of thyme or those mixed herbs and a less generous sprinkle of rosemary. If you don’t have it, just mixed herbs/thyme is fine. 

Sauté for a minute then add all the mushrooms back in, with the butterbeans and chickpeas. 

Add your chorizo if you’re going down that road and give it a heaped teaspoon of pimenton (smoked paprika). I used a level-ish teaspoon each of sweet and hot pimenton. Use what you feel is right for you. 

Stir, then add enough stock to just cover the ingredients. 

Cover and simmer for 2 hours, I pressure cooked it for one hour. 

MAKING THE THICKENER 

While that’s simmering, fry two eggs in a little olive oil (hard boil them if you want, no worries). Turn them over so you cook the yolk. Add them to a pestle and mortar with a big slice of bread (I used seeded sourdough), or two small ones, tear up and throw in with two cloves of garlic and a handful of parsley. Season with salt and pepper and add a glug or three of extra virgin olive oil. Now pound them for your life. Bash them until they’ve amalgamated into a paste. Really go for it. When it’s a squishy paste, it’s ready.

THE BEST BIT

When the stew is done you’ll have lovely, red, slightly watery stew. Add the thickener and bubble it for 5-10 minutes. Stir it in well. You’ll see, like magic, the stew thicken up to a lovely unctuous texture and take on a really punchy flavour. 

Taste and adjust seasoning if you need to. 

You will not find a more flavourful stew that doesn’t have slow cooked animal in it. I guarantee this. You will be amazed. (Even more so if you go for the sustainable iberico bellota chorizo option!). 

Let me know how you go via @eddytemplemorris on Instagram. Any questions arising I’ll always answer there. 

Hasta la vista hermanos y hermanas! 

NOTE ON MUSHROOMS

*If you forage then this is perfect for those wild mushrooms. Oysters, fields, chanterelles, parasols, porcini, blewitts, whatever you like and can gather safely. 

Keep the shiitakes and normal sized mushrooms whole. Only halve the really big ones. You want nice big chunks. If you’re buying mushrooms, go for variety, shiitake, portobello, whatever you can find, it all works! 

NOTE ON CHORIZO

This stew works beautifully without it, but if you like the idea then certainly add some. If you’re vegan the Waitrose chorizo ring is banging, the best by far. If you’re cool with meat then you have two options. If you want to treat yourself (and your liver) then ‘iberico bellota’ is the best. It’s made from the black pigs that feed on cork oak acorns so their meat is incredible and their fat is oleic, as in, actually good for you like olive oil. It’s the only animal fat I know of which takes your cholesterol level down. 

Of course times are tight, so if you want to use a normal cheaper chorizo that will be delicious too.

Listen to Eddy Temple-Morris, weekdays 10am-1pm on Virgin Radio, and 2pm-6pm on Virgin Radio 80s Plus.