When I was eighteen, I had my first Internet crush, on a pierced, punkish entomology student whose nom de net was CannedFood. I even took a 21-hour Greyhound ride from Pittsburgh in order to see CannedFood, ride around in his sputtery vintage Volvo P1800, drink tea from several pots in his mother’s vast collection, and visit shops in rural Georgia where I was horrified to see Klan and Nazi paraphernalia for sale. That visit was also when I found out that my awkward teenage crush on CannedFood was pretty much one-sided. Ouch! So, to this day I never eat food from a can because I find it to be a foul and deceptive embodiment of the real thing.

Ok, well maybe that last part was a a bit of a lie…but it sounded so nice and dramatic! I do think some canned food has its merits, like tuna, condensed milk, pumpkin, and especially beans. I always use canned beans because I have terribly poor planning when it comes to my daily dinner. If I need to cook for a party, or a special occasion, I will make lists and obsess and know exactly what will be made and when, but the rest of the time, I’m just not that well-organized. I know, I know…beans soaked overnight have superior texture and flavor, and anyone who uses those tinny-tasting canned ones is a both a cretin and a philistine. Now that we’ve gotten that over with, let me tell you about a recipe that can let you use not one but two different canned foods, pumpkin and beans.

This hot and filling Black Bean Pumpkin Stew is excellent for those forage-the-pantry days when the crisper is looking lonely but nobody wants to go shopping. The pumpkin offers up some nice beta carotine benefits, but don’t expect a very strong pumpkiny flavor. Rather, it’s more of a textural handyman, giving the soup a smoother mouthfeel along with a hint of sweetness. A note about the sausage: I sometimes like to make it with chouriço, but have also made it several times as a vegetarian soup with no sausage at all, and it’s delicious either way.

Black Bean and Pumpkin Stew

2 15-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 to 2 1/2 cups pumpkin or butternut squashed, cooked, cooled, and mashed (or 1 15-oz can)
1/2 lb cooked chouriço or chorizo sausage, chopped (optional)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3-4 tablespoons sherry or balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil over a medium flame. Add the onion (and chouriço, if using) and cook until onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add the cumin, coriander, and cayenne, stir for a few seconds, then add the beans, pumpkin, and stock. Cover and cook on medium-low for 30 to 40 minutes. Add the sherry vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crackers or chips.

Posted by the cookworm on Monday, December 3rd, 2007 at 10:53 am.