BEAN INGREDIENTS:
250g Tio João Black Beans
1 bay leaf
COUSCOUS INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 ½ teaspoons of sweet paprika
1 teaspoon of hot paprika
1 carrot, coarsely grated
3 cups of Japanese pumpkin, diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups of Moroccan Couscous (semolina)
2 cups of homemade vegetable broth
1 tablespoon of butter (cold or at room temperature)
½ cup of roasted cashews, coarsely chopped
Mint leaves to taste
HOW TO PREPARE THE BEANS:
Place the beans in a sieve and wash with running water. Bring the beans to a bowl, cover with water. Close the bowl and let the beans soak for 8 hours. Change the water twice during this period. Drain the beans and discard the soaking water. Bring the beans to a pressure cooker, cover with water and place the bay leaf. Close the cooker, take into the heat, at a high setting and when the pressure starts, lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes. Let all the pressure release, open the cooker carefully. Drain the beans and discard the broth. Keep it still.
HOW TO PREPARE THE COUSCOUS:
In a large frying pan or pan, heat the oil and sauté the onion along with the sweet paprika and hot paprika. Add the carrot and, while stirring constantly, sauté for 1 minute. Add the pumpkin cubes, salt, pepper and sauté for another 2 minutes or so. Do not sauté for a long time to prevent the pumpkin from falling apart. Add couscous and drizzle with the boiling vegetable stock. Mix everything gently and turn off the heat. Close the frying pan and let the couscous hydrate for 5 minutes.
Gently loosen the couscous with the help of a fork to make it looser. Then add the butter and beans. Mix carefully so as not to crush the ingredients. Finish by placing the cashew nut and mint leaves on top. Serve immediately.
TIP: 6 cups of water for every kilo of raw beans are enough to keep the beans from running out of liquid.
