Red peppers with smashed white beans, roasted nuts and pumpkin seeds

Red peppers with smashed white beans, roasted nuts and pumpkin seeds

Autumn

Roasting red peppers intensifies their sweetness, but it also brings about a slight bitterness in them. It’s this contrast of sweet and bitter that makes them so irresistible. I like to use large bell peppers for this recipe, as their flesh becomes exceptionally soft once they’re cooked. If you’re pushed for time, use tinned white beans instead of dried – they’ll give you equally scrumptious results.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 250g (9oz) dried haricot beans
  • 75g (2½oz) skin-on almonds
  • 25g (1oz) pumpkin seeds
  • 4 large red peppers
  • 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • Pinch of dried chilli flakes
  • 2–3 rosemary sprigs
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Start your beans, almonds and seeds soaking first thing in the morning – they want at least 4–6 hours immersed in water. You can soak the almonds and pumpkin seeds together, but keep the beans separate.

Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7.

Drain the soaked beans, place in a large pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the simmer and cook for 35–40 minutes, or until they are tender. Set a colander over a bowl and drain, reserving the cooking liquid. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the peppers on a baking tray and roast in the hot oven for 30 minutes, until the flesh has softened and the skin has blistered.
Lift the cooked peppers into a heatproof bowl and cover with a clean cloth. (This will help to loosen the skins, making peeling easier.)

While the peppers are roasting, drain the almonds and pumpkin seeds and place them in a small roasting tray. Trickle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, sprinkle with the smoked paprika and chilli flakes, and tear over half the rosemary. Season with salt and pepper and tumble everything together. Bake for 10–12 minutes, stirring once during cooking, until toasted.

Place a large pan over a medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil and, when it’s hot, add the onion and garlic and season with a little salt and pepper. Chop the leaves from the remaining rosemary and add this to the pan, too. Stir regularly and, when the onion and garlic are soft and sweet (about 8–10 minutes), add the beans and stir well. Add 300ml (101⁄2fl oz) of the bean cooking liquid and bring to a gentle simmer.

After 5 minutes or so, smash the beans. I do this with a hand-held stick blender, but you could simply squash them with a potato masher. You want a creamy, yet textured consistency. Season well and keep warm.

Remove the peppers from the bowl, peel away the skins and discard in the compost. Halve and deseed the peppers, then season with salt and pepper and trickle over the remaining olive oil.

Spoon out the bashed beans onto a warmed platter, arrange the peppers over the top and sprinkle over the toasted nuts and seeds. Serve at once.

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