SPICED MIXED BEANS WITH FETA WITH ROSEMARY & TOMATO SOURDOUGH

I’ll be the first to admit that when I invite friends over for dinner, 7/8 of the reason for the invitation is that I want to see them and greatly enjoy their company, and 1/8 is so that I can test out a crazy new dish and (hopefully) impress them. I tried out the funky dish below on 2 old friends who I backpacked around Europe with many moons ago. Perhaps a little risky on my end, as I hadn’t seen them for a while! But all was well. The warm spiced beans were zesty and delicious when contrasted with the coolness of the feta, red onion and coriander. The rosemary & tomato sourdough was something I came up with 5 minutes before my guests arrived, as like any other neurotic host I panicked that we did not have enough food. The bread side proved very useful for wiping the remains of the beans.

INGREDIENTS 


Spiced Mixed Beans with Feta

• 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• pinch of smoked paprika
• 1 medium brown onion (150g), roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon olive oil 
• 1 x 400g tin kidney beans, drained 
• 1 x 400g tin black beans, drained
• 1 x 400g tin diced tomatoes
• 150g fresh tomatoes, roughly diced
• 1/2 a cup (125ml) water
• 150g reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbed into small pieces
• 1/2 small red onion, roughly chopped
• a few springs of coriander 

Cooking 

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius fan-force (180 degrees for non fan-force). Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or stove-proof casserole on medium heat. (At the time of cooking, I did not own a stove-proof casserole dish, which is not a big issue, however you will have to place the beans in an ovenproof dish after being cooked on the stove. It is just an extra step and a little more cleaning). Add the brown onion and cook, stirring, for around 4 minutes or until softened. Add garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander and paprika and stir for 1 minute. 

2. Add fresh and tinned tomatoes, brown sugar and water to the onion and spices. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. After this stir in the kidney and black beans. When combined well either place the lid on the casserole dish or transport bean mixture to a roasting tin/dish and cover with foil if you do not have a lid. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until liquid is almost absorbed. 

3. Serve the zesty beans with feta, red onion and coriander tossed together. 

Rosemary & Tomato Sourdough 

• 1 french bread stick, cut into even slices, around 5cm 
• 2 tomatoes, diced finely 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dried rosemary 
• sea salt & ground black pepper

Cooking 

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees fan-forced (180 degrees for non fan-force). Line an oven tray with baking paper and place bread slices on the tray. Combine the tomatoes, oil, rosemary, salt & pepper in a small bowl. Spoon mixture evenly onto the top of each bread slice and toast in the oven for around 10 minutes. Depending on the size of your bread slices, you may need to line 2 oven trays or cook 2 batches in the oven. 

x E