This recipe is the story of a meeting of sea and land in the sign of simplicity and the encounters of cultures that become admixtures of flavors.
The protagonists of the story are squid and beans, one of the resources of the Kenyan Indian Ocean that is still inexpensive (especially compared to Europe) and one of the subsistence foods of the poor inland people.
Preparation of the dish is absolutely quick and affordable for everyone. Cooking takes as little as half an hour. The only caution is to use dried legumes and soak them in cold water for about 12 hours. In this way, in addition to speeding up the cooking process, you will be guaranteed to get the right consistency by serving on your table an African recipe with all the trappings of original goodness.
If you want to supplement then with a touch of Italian culinary wisdom, you can add some cannellini beans to the classic "kidney beans," borlotti type found in Kenya under the name "maharagwe."
Squid, fresh or frozen, should be cleaned and seasoned with Swahili spices. To avoid hardening them, making them stodgy, they should be cooked very briefly. It will suffice to blanch them just three or four minutes and then add them to the soup.
Tasty, nutritious, and mouth-watering, squid and bean soup is a recipe to try!

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PEOPLE

400 g dried borlotti beans

600 g medium squid

1 clove of garlic

1 small carrot

Half a fresh spring onion

Half a celery stalk

1 peeled tomato

1 lime

Olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

A pinch of parsley or cilantro (to taste)

Salt and pepper

PROCEDURE

Soak the borlotti beans in cold water for 12 hours. Boil them in unsalted water. Drain the legumes, saving a cup of cooking water.

Brown the garlic in a small pan with the coarsely chopped celery, carrot and spring onion until they begin to wilt. Add the tomato, beans and cooking water and let cook and season a few minutes over very low heat.
Meanwhile, clean the squid of their innards and rinse them. If you have already caught them cleaned, skip this operation, of course. Marinate the squid with half a clove of minced garlic, a sprinkling of cumin and turmeric, the juice of the lime, a drizzle of oil and a grind of black pepper. Allow to season for a few minutes.

When the beans are cooked (about half an hour), take some of them out (about a third) and blend them with an immersion blender.
Heat a nonstick skillet and cook the squid for 3 to 4 minutes (you can add a splash of white wine and also a fresh diced tomato to taste). When they are ready, add them into the beans along with the blended beans with all its broth.
When you want to serve, heat it up another minute and, with the heat off, add a little oil and the remaining parsley or cilantro.