‘We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives … not looking for flaws but for potential’.
All the traditions around food in the new year, centre around the potential for the future. Whether it is lentils in the Italian and Chinese cultures, calling for abundance and good fortune, or the bean dishes from middle Africa so widely celebrated in the south.
Lentils and beans are used as they are drought resistant and thus a crop that is abundant when there is lack. We associate something that is humble in nature to our highest status, our human potential. We elevate the qualities of resilience and presence in the face of uncertainty.
What if we took the lessons of the humble lentil/bean and asked how we could bring these into the New Year. If we learnt how to be more resilient by being more present to the infinite possibilities of the moment, how would this effect our potential? How would it affect our ability to stay congruent to our values and stay true to what we want to see manifest in the year ahead?
This is a beautiful smoky, creamy bean dish. I add greens and pair it with coconut rice.
Ingredients
- 1lb dried black-eyed beans
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 4 cups vegetable/chicken broth
- Salt to taste
- 3 cups greens (optional)
Method
- Soak the beans overnight
- Rinse, bring to the boil and down to a simmer. Cook until soft, c. 40 minutes
- In a large pot heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté to release the flavor. Add the onion, celery and carrots with a pinch of salt and stir until the onions are translucent.
- Add the paprika, thyme, beans, 1 tsp. salt and broth. Stir well. Bring to the boil and then down to a simmer.
- Cover and cook for 1-2 hours. The longer you cook the more starch will release and the creamier the beans will become.
- If adding greens, add them 5 minutes before you have finished
- Serve with rice, greens and some fresh parsley
