Spanish butter bean and potato stew

Heat a stock pot over medium heat and add the extra virgin olive oil.

Cut two slices of baguette two centimetres thick and remove the skins from four cloves of garlic.

Fry the baguette slices and the garlic cloves three to four minutes until golden-fried, then remove them to a mortar and set aside.

Finely chop the onion, roughly chop four cloves of garlic and cut the peeled carrots into small bite-sized pieces.

Add the chopped vegetables to the same pot at the same heat and mix continuously so they do not brown, three to four minutes until lightly sauteed.

Add the sherry vinegar, the sweet smoked Spanish paprika and the ground cumin and mix well.

Add the finely grated tomatoes and season generously with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, mix, and simmer about 5 minutes until thickened.

Cut the peeled potatoes into bite sized pieces about 2 cm thick.

Drain the two cans of butter beans in a colander and rinse them under water.

Add the potatoes, the drained butter beans and just enough vegetable broth to barely cover, 3 cups in this case.

Add the bay leaf, turn to high heat and mix gently.

Once boiling, lid on and lower to a low medium heat; simmer about 20 minutes until the potatoes are just cooked through, testing with a toothpick.

Add the chopped parsley and a pinch of sea salt to the mortar with the fried bread and garlic and pound to a paste.

Stir the bread and garlic paste into the stew until well incorporated; it thickens the stew and lifts the flavour.

Off the heat, transfer to a shallow bowl and garnish with fresh parsley.