Work With It Wednesday - Aubergine & Bean Cassoulet

Time for another post, where I take a food item that I don't like and cook with it to create something that I do like. 

A quick recap, the first work with it Wednesday was about peanut butter and I made Bean & Noodle Salad which I really liked. The second work with it Wednesday was about butter beans and I made Bean and Cauliflower Mash, which was delicious. So all in all two successes, but could I make it a third?

Today my food dislike is cannellini beans, yep another bean! Would you believe it especially when my theme is everything bean like! 

Once again I believe it's the texture of the bean more than anything, I find them quite 'floury' if you know what I mean. Perhaps I'm not having the greatest love affair with these beans because the only way I have tried them is from a tin. Perhaps it's time that I bought dried beans, soaked them overnight, boiled them and then used them in my cooking. But that has always sounded such hard work! The last two recipes for work with it Wednesday have taken the food item and broken it down so it wasn't in its original form, so today my recipe kept the bean whole.

In order for me to enjoy the bean in its truest form I needed other ingredients that would 'over power' the texture and taste. Enter another food dislike, aubergine, I'm not a huge fan of this vegetable and I've had disastrous attempts of cooking with it. The only recipe that I have enjoyed which included the aubergine was a curry! Time for a double whammy I don't do things by halves! What could I cook up which included both these food dislikes that would tickle my taste buds. Enter the stew or cassoulet! The weather has turned and the nights are drawing in and its getting cold outside so a warming stew was just the ticket.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Aubergine
1 Large red onion
1 Sweet potato
1 Red pepper
1 Green pepper
1 Tsp Chipotle paste
1 Tsp Smoked paprika
1 Tin chopped tomatoes
1 Tin of cannellini beans
600ml Vegetable stock
1 Courgette
1 Tsp Cornflour
1 Small bunch of Corriander

Method
Prepare all your vegetables, cut the aubergine, peppers and potato into cubes and thinly slice the onion. Cut the courgette length ways and cut into chunks. 

Pour ½ the olive oil into a pan and heat, add the cubed aubergine and cook over a high heat until golden brown, about 4 minutes. The aubergine will soak up the olive oil so you may need to add a little more. I know, it can't be that good for you adding loads of oil but once in a blue moon can't hurt and it does make it taste so nice.

Add the onion with the remaining oil and cook until the onion is soft, stirring every now and again, about 2-3 minutes. Next add the sweet potato and peppers, giving everything a good stir and cook for another 3 minutes until the peppers are starting to go soft. Add the chipotle paste and smoked paprika and stir to combine thoroughly. 

Drain the tinned beans and rinse well then add to the vegetables with the vegetable stock and chopped tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and let simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring every now and again so the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add the courgette, stir and cook for another 10 minutes. If the mixture becomes too dry add more vegetable stock. Once all the vegetables are soft (don't cook for too long you still want a little bite) mix the cornflour with a little water and add just enough to thicken the mixture.

Serve at once with the chopped coriander sprinkled on top.