Spanish Stew
This Spanish Stew is one we keep coming back to, especially on those evenings when you want something proper and warming without too much fuss. It's got that deep, smoky, tomato-rich flavour that just feels like it's been cooking all day, even though it comes together in about an hour. The spices do something really special here, layering up with the thyme and garlic to give you this incredible base that tastes like the south of Spain in a bowl. It's the kind of stew that gets better with every spoonful, and honestly we find it hard not to go back for seconds. If you haven't made this one yet, tonight is absolutely the night.
Before You Start
- Preheat oven to 200°C
- Large roasting tin
- Baking tray lined with parchment
- Foil square for garlic package
- Large pan with lid
- Mortar & pestle (for crushing peppercorns)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ¾ tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 large onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 700ml water
- 1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 x 400g can of butter beans
- 1 x 400g can of haricot beans
- ¼ tsp peppercorns
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 8 plant-based sausages at room temperature
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 fresh thyme
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- ¼ tsp fennel seeds
- 1 garlic bulb
- ¼ bunch of fresh parsley
- 100g plant-based butter
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 800g tiger bread bloomer
- Salt & pepper to taste
- ½ orange
- 15g fresh parsley
- 2 lemons
Method
Make the stew
- Pour the oil into the hot pan
- Peel and finely chop the onion and add it to the pan
- Cover and cook, stirring now and again, for 8–10 minutes, until softened and lightly golden
- Crush the garlic
- Pick the thyme leaves, if needed
- Remove the lid from the pan and add the garlic, spices and thyme and stir-fry for 1 minute
- Add the tomato purée, tinned tomatoes and water
- Bring to the boil and leave to bubble for 5 minutes
- Trim and thinly slice the red peppers and add them to the pan
- Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes
- Drain the beans, take the lid off the pan, add the beans and increase the heat
- Bring back to the boil and cook for 5 minutes
- Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes
Roast the garlic for the garlic loaf
- Remove 2 cloves of garlic from the bulb and set them aside
- Place the rest of the bulb in the centre of the foil square
- Drizzle with the vegetable oil, fennel seeds and a little salt
- Wrap tightly and place in the hot oven for 20 minutes
Cook the sausages
- Cut the sausages into chunks
- Crack the peppercorns
- Pick the leaves from the thyme
- Put the sausage chunks in the roasting tin and sprinkle over the oil, spices and thyme
- Mix to coat the sausages well
- When the garlic has been in the oven for 20 minutes, turn down the heat to 140°C
- Put the roasting tin alongside the garlic package and bake for 20 minutes more
Finish the garlic bread
- Take the garlic package out of the oven and open it up to let out the steam
- Finely chop the parsley, if using
- Once the garlic is cool, unwrap the cloves and squeeze the flesh into a bowl
- Add the parsley, black pepper and butter
- Mix until smooth
- Make a few cuts in the bread, slicing a third of the way into the loaf
- Spread the garlic butter into the cracks
- Place on the lined baking tray and warm in the oven for 10 minutes
Time to serve
- Halve one of the lemons and squeeze the juice into the stew
- Cut the other lemon into wedges
- Finely chop the parsley, if using
- Squeeze the juice of the orange over the stew
- Season well and sprinkle with the chopped parsley
- Dot the sausage chunks on top
- Serve with the ultimate garlic loaf and the lemon wedges on the side
Tips & Variations
- Make it heartier: We love adding a tin of chickpeas or butter beans about 10 minutes before the end. They soak up all that smoky tomato sauce and make it seriously filling.
- Go heavy on the smoked paprika: If your spice mix includes smoked paprika, don't be shy with it. That's the flavour that really gives this stew its Spanish soul. Henry always adds a pinch more than the recipe says.
- Serve it right: A big hunk of crusty bread to mop up the sauce is non-negotiable in our house. A dollop of vegan yogurt on top also works brilliantly if you want to balance out the smoky heat.
Why This Works
The trick here is taking your time with the onions at the start. That 8 to 10 minutes of slow cooking might feel like you're waiting around, but it builds a sweet, golden base that carries the whole stew. Then when you add the garlic and spices and let them fry off for just a minute, that's when everything comes alive. Trust us on this one, don't rush those first steps.