Mexican Corn and Sweet Pepper Pot
Serves 4, generously
Ingredients
Extra virgin olive oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan
1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
Small bunch coriander, finely chopped, keep the stalks aside to cook with the onion
1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
1 heaped tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon chipotle paste
1 red pepper, diced
100g red split lentils, rinsed
2 carrots, grated or diced
1 sweet potato, diced
1 x 400g tin red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 x 326g tin sweetcorn, drained and rinsed
½ lime, juiced
Pinch of sea salt
Few grinds of black pepper
Method
Leave the lid on at each stage when you are cooking this dish, the steam helps the vegetables cook nicely and more efficiently.
Put the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan on a gentle heat and add the onions, garlic, celery and coriander stalks followed by the herbs, bay leaf, sweet smoked paprika, cumin, chipotle paste, salt and pepper. Stir and let cook for five minutes, then add the red pepper and cook until the onions and red pepper are soft but not browned. This takes about 10 minutes. If the onions start to stick, turn down the heat and add a splash of water.
Add the lentils and a small cup of water, give it a good stir and leave to simmer for five minutes.
Put the carrots, sweet potato and half the tin of sweetcorn into the pan and mix everything together. Add cold water to cover the vegetables. Bring to a simmer and cook until the lentils and vegetables are soft, this will take about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally and add more water if necessary.
When all the vegetables are cooked, take the pan off the heat, remove the bay leaf and blitz with a hand blender until roughly blended. Stir through the kidney beans and the rest of the sweetcorn, return to the heat to bring the soup back to temperature and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
Finally take off the heat, stir in the coriander and lime juice, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.