Paprika Spiced Cannellini Beans

Have you noticed that there are still people who believe that vegetarians live on salads, or stacks of roasted Mediterranean vegetables? I'm sure at least part of my passion for experimenting with food grew from this and the dire shortage of vegetarian recipe books that were around when I first stopped eating meat many years ago. There are plenty of books and websites around now and they are a constant source of inspiration, but I still love messing around. Especially with different spices and flavours - finding out what works, trying new things. 

So here's one of my favourite recipes. A great storecupboard special.  You can serve this with all kinds of things. Crumble over some feta cheese, add some chunks of avocado, serve with rice, or mop it up with bread. Pile on toast (bruschetta style) or serve with salad. For extra richness top with some sour cream. Use your imagination and have fun. The recipe is just the starting point.

1. Dice an onion and finely chop a couple of cloves of garlic. Cook slowly in olive oil to soften. Cook them until they're soft and pale making sure you don't burn the garlic. 
2. Add about one tablespoon of paprika and the same of ground cumin. Stir and cook for a few minutes. 
3. Then add about one tablespoon of cider vinegar and half a tablespoon of brown sugar. Stir.
4. Add 3 chopped tomatoes. (If you prefer, or don't have fresh tomatoes on hand, use a can of tomatoes). 
5. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. 
6. Add a can of Cannellini beans and heat through - about 10 minutes.

Unlike baking where ratios are important, this kind of dish is easy to adjust to suit your own tastes. Do you prefer more tomatoes, or more beans? Do you want a stronger cumin flavour? More garlic? You can leave out the paprika and cumin and spice it up with some thyme or oregano, or use a different kind of bean.

Remember, recipes aren't prescriptive. Have fun with your food and experiment. Let me know if you come up with something good!