Chilean Bean Stew

Any sort of squash will do to make this traditional dish. Do not be put off by the chilli - the hotness is balanced by the sweetness of the corn and sweet potato. Serves 4 as a main dish.

• 60 ml Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp Paprika
• 250g onion
• 600g Squash
• 1 Fat Red Chilli
• 400g Sweet Potato
• 400 tin Red kidney beans
• 400g Tin Butter Beans
• 225g Frozen Sweetcorn
• 30g Parsley
• Salt, Black pepper

Peel and de-seed the squash, peel the sweet potato and cut both into 1 cm chunks.

Peel the onion and garlic and chop roughly.

Warm the oil in a deep, heavy based saucepan.

Gently fry the cumin seeds, onion and garlic until soft.

Add the squash, paprika and chilli and turn in until mixed.

Add 500ml water and bring to the boil, cover and simmer on a really low heat for 30 mins.

Drain the beans and add to the pot, with the sweet potato. Simmer for a further 30 mins until the vegetables are cooked — the squash should be just starting to break down. If the mixture looks dry, add some more water — it should look like a thick soup.

Add the sweetcorn, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 mins more, until the sweetcorn is done.

Serve with rice and a green salad.