Dominican Stewed Beans

Rinse and pick over the red or pinto beans, then soak in 1000 ml of water for 8 hours or overnight.

Drain, cover the beans with another 1000 ml of fresh water, bring to a boil and cook, partially covered, for 60–90 minutes, until the beans are tender. Drain, reserving 800 ml of the cooking liquid.

In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the oregano, bell pepper, red onion, garlic, squash, tomato sauce, celery, thyme and cilantro; stir for 30 seconds.

Add the cooked beans and sauté together with the vegetable base for 2 minutes.

Pour in the 800 ml of reserved cooking liquid; if you don't have enough, top up with water to reach that amount. Bring to a boil.

Mash about a quarter of the beans right in the pot with a potato masher to thicken the sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes, until the squash is soft and the gravy turns creamy.

Remove the pieces of onion, the celery stalk and the thyme sprigs. Season with salt to taste and take off the heat.

Let the dish rest for 5 minutes so the sauce thickens fully, then serve hot.