This is a one pot dish full of strong delicious Mediterranean flavours with beans for protein and lots of vegetables.  Add the red peppers 10 minutes before the end for added crunch and texture.  Serve with brown rice, potatoes or crusty bread.

Ingredients serves 4

a large onion, diced

a splash of olive oil

one large or two small carrots, scrubbed and diced

2 sticks of celery, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

a tablespoon of dried oregano

a tablespoon of dried chillies (or to taste)

salt

pepper

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons of tomato puree

2 cans (400g, 14 oz)of tomatoes

a can (400g 14 oz), 240g drained) of borlotti beans, drained and rinsed

2 large red peppers, cored and cut into one inch squares

a handful of black olives

2 tablespoons of capers (drained)

Method

Sweat the onion in a splash of olive oil in a large pan with a sprinkling of salt for 5 minutes

Add the carrot and celery, some black pepper, the oregano and chilli flakes, sweat for a further 10 minutes stirring occasionally

Add some water to just cover the vegetables, add the bay leaves and bring to the boil, simmer for about 10 minutes until the carrots have softened

Add the tinned tomatoes and the tomato puree, stir, bring back to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes adding the chopped peppers 10 minutes before the end (or earlier if you prefer them softer)

Add the beans 10 minutes before the end and stir the olives and capers in just before serving