Red kidney bean and carrot stew

(read in Italian)

This stew with red kidney beans and carrots has been created more for a food photography purpose than with the idea of sharing a recipe but I’ve got so many questions about it, that I’ve decided to write everything down and share this delicious preparation on the blog. But let’s take a minute to chat about the reason why this was an interesting subject to work on my photography…

To work on your skills, to change your lifestyle, to get better in your job, to work on yourself… STRIVE FOR PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION.

One of the things I’ve decided to put on my to-do list during the last few months: taking more time to explore the food photography part of my job. Most of the photos I share as support of my posts on social media are quick snaps taken at breakfast or lunchtime and, let’s be honest, having the skills to get great results in a short time and without an ideal set-up has been useful in several working occasions. BUT I love taking my time to work on a photo and literally be able to SLOW DOWN and build up a connection with what I’m doing. So, on my to-do list for the near future, I definitely have more time spent behind the camera, a photography workshop I want to arrange in Dublin, and plenty of interesting food photography jobs. Do you have any skills or change you want to work on?

Red kidney bean and carrots stew

Ingredients (serves 2)

• approx. 200 g cooked red kidney beans
• 3 medium-sized carrots
• 2 shallots
• 5-6 sun-dried tomatoes
• approx. 300 ml tomato passata
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp fennel seeds (crushed in a mortar)
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds (crushed in a mortar)
• 1/3 tsp hot paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• a pinch of salt
• a pinch of black pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• on top: 4 tbsp for of plain coconut yogurt (or regular yogurt, according to your preferences), 4-5 radishes, 1 handful of fresh coriander, extra virgin olive oil

Warm up a little bit of olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the finely chopped shallots and stir until they turn golden. Add the carrots (chopped in small pieces) and mix well for approx. 30 seconds, then slowly add a few tbsp of warm water, followed by the tomato passata, the finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes (no need to re-hydrate them in advance, since they will cook with your stew), the bay leaves, and the spices. Add a bit of extra water if needed to keep all the ingredients covered (add small amounts of water step by step, since the preparation doesn’t take too long and you want a creamy result). Cook on low heat for approx. 10 minutes, then add the beans and cook for 5-10 minutes (according to how crunchy you want your carrots and how creamy you’d like the stew). Once it will be ready, adjust the amount of salt and black pepper to taste, remove the bay leaves, and use the finely sliced radishes, yogurt, coriander, and olive oil as toppings. Serve as itself or with a slice of toasted bread.

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