Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for leek and beans romesco | Beans

With some experiences in this world, there is a before and after, because the moment is so big that you can’t remember a time before, only when life restarted again in a better, brighter, clearer, more wonderful way. Eating romesco sauce at Moro on Exmouth Market in London in 2012 was such a moment for me. It hit me from all angles: sweet, spicy, tomatoey, with little explosions of almonds for texture. Traditionally, you eat a small amount, a bit like a condiment, but in today’s (untraditional) recipe, the sauce is the boss and the leeks and beans are merely creamy, oniony conduits.

Leek and beans romesco

If the leeks are very sandy, slice them up, put them in a bowl of water, then scoop out into a sieve to drain; don’t tip them into the sieve, though, because the sand will have settled at the bottom of the bowl. You’ll need a blender to make this.

Prep 10 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4

For the sauce
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1¼ tsp fine sea salt
1½ tsp sweet paprika
1 mild red chilli, roughly chopped
2½ tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
40g blanched or ground almonds
250g jarred roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped

For the leeks and beans
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
3 leeks (500g), cut into ½cm-thick slices
2 x 400g tins of beans – I used black beans (drained) and cannellini beans (not drained)
10g fresh basil, to serve
Crusty bread, gluten-free if you like, to serve

Put all the sauce ingredients in a blender, blitz to a smooth paste, then set aside.

Put three tablespoons of oil in a wide frying pan for which you have a lid, and put it on a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about three minutes, until sticky and golden.

Add the leeks and sweat them for six minutes, until soft, prodding them with a spoon so they unravel. Add the tin of drained beans and the second tin of undrained beans, complete with their liquid, cover and leave to simmer for eight minutes, until the beans are soft. Scrape the romesco sauce into the pan, stir in 150ml water and simmer uncovered for a final five minutes.

Transfer to a bowl, tear the fresh basil over top and pour over more olive oil, if you wish. Serve with crusty bread for scooping.