Red Beans with Apples and Smoked Paprika

Recipe:

Ingredient Notes:

• Beans: Feel free to use any type of bean you prefer for this recipe – red, black, lima, or black-eyed peas all work well. Canned beans are the most convenient option, significantly cutting down on cooking time. However, if you prefer, you can certainly soak and cook dried beans yourself.
• Apples: It’s best to choose sweet-tart apple varieties that will hold their shape during stewing rather than turning into mush. Granny Smiths, Honeycrisp, and Braeburn apples are all ideal for this purpose.
• Onions: For this dish, any type of onion will work, including yellow, red, Spanish, or shallots.
• Garlic: I recommend using fresh garlic for the best flavor in this recipe.
• Tomato Paste: Opt for a tomato paste with a high percentage of solids (this is usually listed on the can; aim for 24% or higher for richer flavor).
• Vinegar: Almost any vinegar is suitable here, except for white distilled vinegar. Apple cider, rice, red wine, or white wine vinegar are all excellent choices.
• Soy Sauce: Use a regular (not dark) soy sauce with standard salt content.
• Worcestershire Sauce: This ingredient provides a unique and indispensable flavor to the sauce, so we don’t recommend substituting it.
• Mustard: Any kind of smooth, prepared mustard will work here, such as Dijon, honey mustard, or American yellow mustard.
• Paprika: The key to this dish’s unique flavor is smoked paprika. If you have the chance, I highly recommend trying it in this recipe. While regular sweet paprika will still yield a delicious dish, the flavor will be much simpler without the smoky depth.

Let’s start cooking.

Finely chop the onion and garlic. Peel and core the apples. Cut them into 1.5 cm cubes.

In a bowl, combine the tomato paste, mustard, sugar, smoked paprika, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce.

Stir.

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a frying or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent.

Add the garlic and tomato mixture, then pour in the water. Bring to a boil, then stew over medium heat for a few minutes.

Add the apples.

Stir and cook until the apples are almost completely tender. Finally, add the rinsed canned or boiled beans. Season to taste.

Simmer until the apples are fully cooked and the beans are warmed through.

Serve.

Enjoy!

This Red Beans with Apples and Smoked Paprika recipe was checked, prepared and approved by Chef Tatyana Nazaruk - author of FlavorIt.com.
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