Recipe: spiced cowboy beans by Joe Woodhouse
This is a perfect dish for a Bonfire Night gathering

This is less a recipe than a rough template for a dish, to be adapted as you see fit, said Joe Woodhouse. You can use whatever peas or beans you like, but my favourite are Bold Bean Co’s Queen Carlin Peas. Feel free also to play around with the spices. It’s a perfect dish for a Bonfire Night gathering, served with rice or other grains, or eaten as it is with some yoghurt and herbs on top.
What are Queen Carlin Peas?
While an Erasmus student in Spain, Amelia Christie-Miller had a "bean epiphany", and decided she wanted to help British people appreciate beans, said Katie Fraser in The Bookseller. So she launched Bold Bean Co, in 2021. Queen Carlin Peas, the company’s latest product, is also its first British-grown one. Small and brown, and quite similar to chickpeas, carlin peas are mainly grown in the North of England and are traditionally eaten on Bonfire Night.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Ingredients: serves 4, or 8 if served with rice or grains
- 700g jarred Bold Bean Co Queen Carlin Peas
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, diced
- 2 carrots, tops removed, diced
- 2 peppers, stalks and most of the seeds removed, diced
- 2 x 400g cans plum tomatoes
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp cumin, ground, or seeds, crushed
- 1 tsp paprika, sweet or hot or a blend
- sea salt flakes
To serve
- natural yoghurt
- a few handfuls of herbs
- pickled chillies
Method
- Add the oil to a pan over a medium heat, followed by the onions, carrots and a good pinch of salt. Cook for 10-12 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Stir in the peppers and tomatoes and spices. Break up the tomatoes a little and bring to a simmer. Let it bubble away for 10 minutes.
- Drain the cooked carlin peas and add to the sauce. Cook together for 5-10 minutes, check the seasoning and then either serve straight away or leave off the heat to let the flavours marry further, as they will improve with time. Serve with the yoghurt, herbs and pickled chillies alongside.
Recipe from "Your Daily Veg" by Joe Woodhouse, published by Kyle Books at £22. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £17.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.
Sign up for The Week's Food & Drink newsletter for recipes, reviews and recommendations.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Democrats: The 2028 race has begun
Feature Democratic primaries have already kicked off in South Carolina
-
The Pentagon's missing missiles
Feature The U.S. military is low on weapons. Can it restock before a major conflict breaks out?
-
Rescissions: Trump's push to control federal spending
Feature The GOP passed a bill to reduce funding for PBS, NPR and other public media stations
-
The Coldplay kiss cam affair: a cautionary tale
In the Spotlight The pair became 'the most googled people on the planet' after getting caught having an affair at a Coldplay concert
-
Connie Francis: superstar of the early 1960s pop scene
In the Spotlight The 'Pretty Little Baby' and 'Stupid Cupid' singer has died aged 87
-
Friendship: 'bromance' comedy starring Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson
The Week Recommends 'Lampooning and embracing' middle-aged male loneliness, this film is 'enjoyable and funny'
-
6 head-turning homes for town house living
Feature Featuring a roof deck with city views in South Carolina and a renovated Harlem brownstone in New York City
-
Bookish: delightful period detective drama from Mark Gatiss
The Week Recommends 'Cosy crime' series is a 'standout pleasure' in an Agatha Christie-style formula
-
Music Reviews: Justin Bieber, Wet Leg, and Clipse
Feature "Swag," "Moisturizer," and "Let God Sort Em Out"
-
Film reviews: Eddington and Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight
Feature A New Mexico border town goes berserk and civil war through a child's eyes
-
Art Review: Hilma af Klint's What Stands Behind the Flowers
Feature Museum of Modern Art, New York City, through Sept. 27