Ital stew: Jamaican squash and kidney bean stew

Rastafarian Ital cooking is all about fresh, plant-based food. This golden coconut stew of squash, carrots and beans is scented with thyme and allspice, with a whole Scotch bonnet for gentle warmth.

Ingredients

• 20 ml Vegetable oil
• 1 Onions, chopped
• 4 Spring onions, sliced
• 0.2 Garlic, 3 cloves, crushed
• 10 g Fresh ginger, grated
• 3 g Dried thyme
• 2 g Ground allspice
• 1 Fresh chillies, a Scotch bonnet if you can find one, left whole
• 1 Butternut squash, peeled, in chunks
• 200 g Carrots, thickly sliced
• 800 g Kidney beans, 2 tins, drained
• 400 ml Coconut milk
• 1 Vegetable stock cubes, made up to 300ml
• 150 g Spinach
• 1 Limes
• 3 g Salt
• 300 g Basmati rice

Method

1. Heat the oil in a big pan and soften the onion and most of the spring onions. Stir in the garlic, ginger, thyme and allspice for a minute.
2. Add the squash, carrots, beans, coconut milk and stock, then drop in the whole chilli (pierce it once with a knife for a little more heat). Cover and simmer until the squash is soft.
3. Rinse the rice and boil it in plenty of salted water, then drain and leave covered.
4. Lift out the chilli carefully without bursting it. Stir in the spinach until wilted, add lime juice and salt to taste, and lightly crush a few pieces of squash to thicken the sauce.
5. Serve over rice with the rest of the spring onions on top.