Lobio, Red Beans with Walnuts

📝 Ingredients

• 2 tins kidney beans (500 g drained)
• 1 large brown onion (about 150 g)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tsp ground coriander + 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 200 ml water
• 50 g walnut halves (40 g for the stew, 10 g for serving)
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 25 g fresh coriander (½ bunch)
• 4 slices of country bread (40 g each)
• 6 gherkins (about 60 g)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Colander
• Sauté pan with lid
• Potato masher
• Chopping board and knife
• Toaster

📖 Steps

1. Drain the red beans in a colander and rinse them under cold water. Peel and finely slice the onion, chop the garlic. Chop the walnuts with a knife into small pieces the size of a grain of rice, and set 10 g aside for serving.
2. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-low heat, add the onion and 1 pinch of salt. Let it soften for 10 to 12 min, stirring often, until very tender and pale golden. Lower the heat if it colours too quickly: it should turn sweet, not burnt.
3. Add the garlic, ground coriander and paprika and stir for 1 min, until the spices are fragrant. Pour in the beans and the 200 ml of water, bring to a simmer, then cover and leave to simmer for 10 min over low heat.
4. Roughly mash about half of the beans with a potato masher or a fork, right in the pan: lobio should stay rustic, with whole beans in a thick purée. Add the 40 g of chopped walnuts and mix.
5. Cook for another 5 min over low heat, stirring, until the stew is thick and creamy, like a well-bound chilli. Add 2 to 3 tbsp of water if it becomes too stiff or catches on the bottom.
6. Wash and finely chop the fresh coriander. Off the heat, add the vinegar, three quarters of the coriander, salt and pepper, then mix. Taste: the vinegar should lift the dish without dominating, and the salt bring out the flavour of the walnuts.
7. Toast the slices of bread in the toaster or in a dry frying pan over medium heat, 2 min on each side, until golden and nicely crisp. Toast them at the last moment so they are still warm when served.
8. Serve the lobio piping hot in shallow bowls, sprinkled with the rest of the coriander and the 10 g of reserved walnuts, with the toast and gherkins on the side: their acidity balances the richness of the walnuts.