Kiveve

Ingredients

Pumpkin

• 800 gandai or firm orange pumpkin, peeled and cubed
• 500 mlwater
• 1 tspsalt

Base

• 150 gfine white cornmeal
• 300 mlwhole milk
• 50 gbutter
• 1onion, finely chopped, optional

To finish

• 200 gParaguay cheese or a mild crumbly white cheese
• 2 tbspsugar
• salt

To serve

• on its own, or beside grilled meat

Directions

1. Boil the pumpkin in the salted water until completely soft, about 20 minutes, and keep the cooking water.
2. Keep the pumpkin water. It goes back in as the liquid and it carries both the colour and the sweetness.
3. Mash the pumpkin thoroughly with a fork or a masher, in its own liquid.
4. Mash it by hand rather than blending. A blender makes it slick and gluey, and kiveve should have a little texture left in it.
5. Bring the mashed pumpkin and its liquid back to a simmer and add the milk and butter.
6. Now rain the cornmeal in in a thin stream, whisking hard the whole time.
7. Rain it in and keep whisking. Cornmeal tipped in as a mass sets into lumps within seconds and there is no smoothing them out afterwards.
8. Cook on a low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
9. Stir it continuously and scrape the base. It is thick and starchy and it catches readily.
10. It is ready when it is thick enough to hold the mark of the spoon but still soft enough to spoon out.
11. Take it off the heat and stir in the crumbled cheese and the sugar.
12. The sugar goes in with the salty cheese, and both are meant to be tasted. Kiveve sits deliberately between sweet and savoury, which surprises people the first time.
13. Stir until the cheese has melted through and check the seasoning.
14. Serve hot, on its own as a light meal or beside grilled meat.
15. It is Guaraní in origin, and kiveve is the Guaraní word, though the dish now carries wheat-era additions like milk and cheese.
16. It is closely related to Paraguayan cornbread traditions, and the same pumpkin and cornmeal base appears in chipa guasú and sopa paraguaya.

Technique

• Andai is the Paraguayan pumpkin, dense and sweet, and butternut is the nearest widely available thing.
• Paraguay cheese is fresh, salty and squeaky, closer to a young queso fresco than to anything aged.
• It thickens as it stands and is loosened with a little milk when reheated.

Substitutions

• Butternut squash in place of andai.
• Queso fresco, halloumi or a young feta rinsed of some salt.

Variations

• Without sugar, as a purely savoury side.
• With more cheese, closer to a baked pudding.
• Made with sweet potato instead of pumpkin.

History

Andai squash cooked down with cornmeal, cheese and milk, a Guarani-descended dish served sweet or savoury.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kiveve?

Kiveve is a salad & side from Paraguay: creamy pumpkin-cornmeal puree with cheese, sweet-savory. Andai squash cooked down with cornmeal, cheese and milk, a Guarani-descended dish served sweet or savoury.

How long does Kiveve take to make?

Kiveve takes 20 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Kiveve?

Yes, within limits. Butternut squash in place of andai. Queso fresco, halloumi or a young feta rinsed of some salt.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kiveve?

Mash it by hand rather than blending. A blender makes it slick and gluey, and kiveve should have a little texture left in it.