rainbow chard, red bean, and peanut stew

serves 4

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

100g (3½oz) rainbow chard, roughly chopped

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground ginger

400g (14oz) can chopped tomatoes

4 rounded tablespoons crunchy peanut butter

240g (8½oz) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

generous handful of fresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped

pinch of sea salt

This is soul food in a bowl. It's creamy and rich with a subtle heat. Rainbow chard adds a pretty array of colours to the stew, but if you don’t have any available, you can substitute it for Swiss chard or spring greens. Don’t leave out the coriander topping at the end, as this lifts the stew with its fresh flavour. This is one of my favourite foods to eat on a cold, autumn day, while wearing a cosy, knitted jumper.

Heat the oil in a large pan over a high heat. Add the onion and rainbow chard to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes until the onion begins to soften.

Add the garlic to the pan, along with the chilli flakes, cumin, and ginger and cook for a further minute.

Tip in the tomatoes and spoon in the peanut butter. Reduce the heat to medium.

Add the red kidney beans and soy sauce to the pan. Stir regularly to prevent burning and cook for 8 minutes.

Spoon into bowls and scatter with the coriander. Season with salt.

If you don’t eat all the stew, simply add in some vegetable stock and whizz until smooth in a blender for a fast soup the following day.