Five-Bean Stew with homemade vegetable stock

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Fried onion

1. 1
   In advanceSoak the beans and chickpeas overnight in water and drain.

   Bowl

   💡Soak in plenty of water, well above what's being soaked: legumes and grains swell and drink water, and whatever sticks out stays hard. Drain well before continuing.
2. 2
   Transfer the beans and chickpeas to a pot, cover with water and cook about an hour, until tender. Drain.

   StovePotColander
3. 3
   Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.

   StoveLarge pot
4. 4
   Add the onion and fry 5–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
5. 5
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   Stove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.

To assemble

1. 6
   Add the cumin, turmeric, paprika and salt and stir.
2. 7
   Add the tomatoes and cook 5 minutes.

   Stove
3. 8
   Put the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, garlic, bay leaves and thyme in a large pot with the cold water.

   Large pot

   💡Start with cold water: the vegetables release their flavor slowly as the water heats up.
4. 9
   Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off the foam.

   Stove
5. 10
   Turn down to medium-low heat and simmer uncovered 30–45 minutes.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
6. 11
   Strain the stock through a fine sieve.

   Fine sieve
7. 12
   Add the lentils, stock, chickpeas, beans, red beans and black beans and bring to a boil.

   Stove
8. 13
   Turn down the heat, cover and simmer 30–40 minutes, until the stew thickens.

   StoveLid