Butternut Squash Stew with Green Beans, Pinto Beans and Sweetcorn

Succulent butternut squash stew, served in a bowl, on a human hand

We've had a few rainy days here in Dublin lately, which means only one thing: rain. Rain is cold, wet, and gross, if you're not prepared for it. In fact, I was caught in a nasty downpour during a five mile race yesterday. As I was hobbling toward the finish line, with my shoes wet and my clothes drenched, all I could think about was this stew, which I made for the first time a few weeks ago. I should have known to prepare this for after my run, as I've been craving it since.

I first saw a similar recipe prepared by British chef, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. On one of his TV shows, he had a massive batch simmering away for a group of endurance swimmers somewhere on the English coast. As they swam, he went through the recipe and made the stew. The swimmers returned a while later, and I've never seen a bunch of people (apart from myself) happier to eat soup. Fearnley-Whittingstall's version is slightly different, in that he uses pumpkin as well as the butternut squash, but I opted against that as I feel it would be too sweet for me, but by all means, put it in if it tickles your fancy. I have no doubt that carrot would also be a worthwhile substitute, though not as soft and squishy as the butternut squash.

This is the perfect comfort food stew any time of year: it's succulent and nourishing enough to keep you warm in winter, but its sweet flavour also makes it great as a summer stew. Here in Ireland, we have October weather all year long so it really hardly makes a difference.

Serves 4-6 cold, wet endurance athletes (or rainy-day amateur joggers like me)

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and chopped into bite-size chunks
1 can sweetcorn, drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
200g fresh green beans, rinsed and cut into inch-long pieces
800 ml vegetable stock
1 large yellow onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Heat the oil in a large stockpot on a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the squash to the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until the squash begins to soften.

Cover with vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Cover, reduce the heat and allow to simmer and soften the squash for about 5 minutes, until the squash is tender.

Add paprika, oregano and rosemary in generous quantities. Cover again and allow to simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the sweetcorn, green beans and pinto beans and stir. Allow stew to simmer for a further 5-10 minutes on medium heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Before serving ensure that the squash is tender.

Ladle into bowls and serve as you like it. I suggest either with some oatcakes on the side for dipping, or a thick chunk of crusty brown bread.