Roasted Sweet Potato, Kale & Butter Bean Smokey Goulash
Main Course
Feeds 4 Decent Appetites
Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
I can’t believe that vegan food still gets a bit of a beating! It can be so delicious and the amount of diversity available in terms of ingredients, flavours and textures is amazing!
I put this together for a speedy, veg packed lunch and it went down a total storm. My wife even said that it might be the best thing I have ever made - I cannot tell you how much that comment actually means. She is my harshest critic and everything I cook is met with some good constructive criticism - exactly what I need! So this must be good! In fact, I am actually eating a bowl of leftovers right now!
It freezes perfectly and is a really good option for batch cooking - you’ll always be a quick microwave away from delicious - the best place to be!
The combination of paprika and hot sweet smoked paprika, along with the amazing Beech Smoked Droitwich Salt is what sets this apart from your standard goulash - it gives it such an amazing flavour profile and coupled with those soft, roasted sweet potatoes - it’s divine! If you don’t have smoked salt, don’t panic, you can use normal salt - if you get a chance to try it, you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes!
The other surprise for me was just how great the rye bread and lime crumb was with it all! We are gluten free in our house now and I just wanted to add some texture - ended up a master stroke! This recipe is wheat free but if you are cooking for gluten free guests simply omit the crumb or just use a gluten free bread - head towards the more brown/seeded/wholemeal route - it will balance with the flavour profile a little better.
The beans are important here - try to use good quality ones. The Bold Bean Co (in most supermarkets now) are so creamy and delicious - highly recommended. They are a touch more expensive but if you ask me, totally worth it! Don’t drain the beans. You want to add the water they are in - this adds a lovely creaminess and texture to the dish!
I actually air-fried the sweet potatoes because that’s just the way we are - so feel free to get them cooked however you like!
INGREDIENTS:
1 Medium Onion
1 Medium Carrot
2 Sticks Celery
1 Good Sized Garlic Clove
2 Sprigs Fresh Oregano or 1 Tsp Dried Oregano
1 Good Sized Yellow Pepper (lets face it, the colour doesn’t make or break this)
2 Handfuls Sliced Kale (around 100g)
2 Medium Tomatoes
1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes
1 Jar Bold Bean Co Queen Butter Beans or 1 Tin Butter Beans in Water
1 Level Dsp Ground Paprika
1 Tsp Hot Smoked Paprika
1/2 Lime, Juice
Smoked Salt
4 Medium Sweet Potatoes
2 Tbsp Cooking Oil
1 Tbsp Vegan Yoghurt
Handful Coriander Leaves (optional)
For the Crumb:
2 Pieces Rye Bread
1/2 Lime, Zested
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 200C
Rub the sweet potatoes with 1 Tbsp of cooking oil and sprinkle with salt.
Bake on a baking tray in the oven for 30-40 minutes until soft all the way through.
In a pan, heat some cooking oil on a medium-low heat. Cut the onion into wedges and the carrots and celery into 10mm pieces
Add to the oil with a small pinch of salt, stir and cook with the lid on for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft and translucent
Mince the garlic clove, roughly chop the fresh oregano and cut the tomatoes into wedges and add to the pan, continue to cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes start to soften
Deseed and chop the pepper into 15mm pieces and add this to the pan
Add the chopped tomatoes, another small pinch of salt, the ground paprika and the hot smoked paprika. Stir, turn the heat up to medium and bring to a simmer - cook for 10 minutes
Add the butter beans, including the water and return to a simmer.
Stir through the kale, and lime juice, turn the heat off and place the lid on. Leave this for at least 10 minutes or while you wait for your potatoes to roast. This will allow all the flavours mellow and get to know each other.
While the sauce is resting, make the crumb. Thinly slice the rye bread and toast in a bog standard toaster until well toasted! Leave out of the toaster to cool before crumbling or chopping into a bowl - don’t be afraid of some bigger pieces, makes a lovely texture. Mix in the lime zest and set aside.
Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, place in a serving bowl and cut a cross in the top - open up the potato and kind of mush it a bit to fluff up the flesh and spread the potato across the plate a bit. Sprinkle with a small pinch of salt.
Taste and adjust the seasoning of the goulash with salt, lime juice and if you think it needs some sweetness, you can add a spoon of sugar or honey - but remember the potatoes are sweet, so go easy!
Ladle the goulash over the potatoes, top with the vegan yoghurt and a sprinkling of rye crumb - delicious!
I garnished mine with a few coriander leaves because I love coriander and the green is quite pretty - but that’s up to you!
