Aubergine, okra and red kidney bean casserole

This vegetarian dish is ready in under an hour. With an addition of a spicy paste pot to the combination of aubergines, okra and kidney beans you can make it extra warming, thus  perfect for colder days... And so far March has been as fickle as Verdi's "la donna ѐ mobile", giving us sunny spells, then blowing cold winds.

Very Lazy Smoky Spanish Stew slow cooking paste pots was one of the products in February Degustabox. It's a concentrated paste with paprika, red pepper, ground cumin, ground Cayenne and garlic puree. This product is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
I decided to use it in a vegetarian casserole, or ragu, or stew, it could be called any of these.

Aubergine, okra and kidney bean casserole
Ingredients:
3tbsp olive oil
1 shallot
1 medium carrot
1 medium aubergine
1 x 175g pack of okra
1 x 300g  tin of red kidney beans in water (drained weight 180g)
1 tomato
500g passata
1 x 25g pot of Very Lazy Smoky Spanish Stew
1/1tsp sugar
a 150ml pot of Greek yogurt
fresh coriander
basmati rice

Heat the oil in a heavy-based deep frying pan. Fry a finely chopped shallot for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a peeled and chopped carrot, and cubed aubergine. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes.
Slice okra into 3-4 pieces, and add to the vegetables. Drain and rinse red kidney beans and add to the mix. Finally add a chopped tomato and pour passata. Add a pot of Very Lazy Smoky Spanish Stew paste. Stir, lower the heat and cook for 30+ minutes. You might need to add some  water, and a bit of sugar (optional).
In the final minutes of cooking, stir in a pot of Greek yogurt. And add some chopped fresh coriander or parsley.
Serve with basmati rice.

Verdict? The Spanish stew pot definitely packs a punch. When the stew was almost done, I tried a spoonful and gasped, it was rather hot. To make the heat mellower, I added a small pot of Greek yogurt. My husband also commented later that it was on the hot side.
I suppose, it depends on your tastebuds. If you enjoy hot food, use a whole pot, if you prefer milder flavour, perhaps use half of the pot. That's what I will do with the remaining two pots in the pack. I will use half a pot at a time.