“It’s end-of-the-month stew,” my flatmate tells me, poking unenthusiastically at the mixture in the pot with a wooden spoon. “It’s everything I had in tins…” She sounds slightly mournful, so I have a dig in the fridge to see if I can find anything to add.

Apart from a couple of carrots, all that’s there is the parade of condiments: tamarind paste, harissa paste, assorted chutneys, jams and pickles and half a shrivelled lemon. This, it seems, is why we’re having end-of-the-month stew in the middle of the month. Well, and the fact that rain is blowing in all directions outside and the wind is whistling through the trees. Inside our little kitchen it’s cosy and warm.

“Carrots?” I offer, hopefully.

Tinned food has a deservedly bad reputation. Pickled fish, spam, mushy peas and preserved pigs feet (yes, you can buy them at Walmart) hold a specific terror for me.

Earlier this year, our strong-stomached copy editor, Linda, sent us an article about the Can-Opener Cookbook. Replete with delights such as the Quick Lobster Newberg (canned lobster, condensed cream of mushroom soup, egg and sherry) and an inspired fusion of omelette and Christmas pud (eggs, canned mushrooms and rum, all set alight before serving), food editor Poppy Cannon seems to truly believe in tinned food as a time-saving solution for modern women. No matter how revolting the results…
 
 “Are there any chillies?”

I snap out of my daydream. Thankfully we don’t have anything nearly that terrifying in our cupboards. The most adventurous tinned goods are probably water chestnuts. (They stay nice and crunchy when tinned, and work well in stir-fries.)

I dig a couple of chillies out of the freezer (they last just as well there), and slice them up. They get fried up with onions, before tins of tomatoes are added. Carrots and half a head of broccoli go in. There’s no meat, of course, so in go tins of red kidney beans and chickpeas. Inspired by Jamie Oliver’s bolognaise recipe, so do a glug of Worcester sauce and balsamic vinegar, and a little white wine. Frozen peas and some dried Italian herbs go in last.
 
“I’m not sure what it’ll taste like, so don’t expect anything, okay?” says the flatmate, handing me a plate an hour or so later. Her boyfriend has arrived and is hovering in the doorway, looking slightly nervous. I dig out a heel of parmesan and grate some for us.

 “It’s not that bad,” says the boyfriend, tucking into a mouthful. The stew is a deep crimson colour; the sauce rich and thick. It’s warming, hearty and not lacking in flavour at all.
“End-of-the-month stew is kind of good!” I confess. Even my flatmate is smiling.
 
End-of-the-month stew, very loosely adapted from Jamie’s Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver
2 medium onions, diced
Fresh chilli, diced
1 head of broccoli
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 heaped tablespoon of flour
1 can of diced tomatoes
A dash of balsamic vinegar
A dash of Worcester sauce
1 small tin tomato paste
a small glug of wine
1 tin red kidney beans
1 tin chickpeas
Frozen peas
Whichever herbs you can find in your store cupboard but, ideally, oregano, thyme and anything else that sounds Italian
 
1.      Chop and fry the onions in a little butter and oil.
2.      Add the fresh chillies and garlic if you have it (we didn’t).
3.      Dig around in your cupboard for appropriate tins. Kidney beans and chickpeas are good, but there’s no reason why white beans won’t work.
4.      Assure the assembled masses that it might not taste that good.
5.      Chop the fresh vegetables and add them, or dig in the freezer for your flatmate’s frozen peas.
6.      Allow to simmer.
7.      Serve with brown rice, fresh Parmesan and end-of-the-month wine.

Katharine

Photograph: Jamieanne