Porotos granados

Ingredients

Beans

• 1 kgfresh cranberry beans in the pod, or 500 g shelled
• or 350 g dried cranberry beans, soaked overnight

Vegetables

• 500 gzapallo, pumpkin or squash, cubed
• 4 earsof fresh corn

Sofrito

• 2onions, finely diced
• 4 tbspoil
• 1 tbsppaprika or ají de color
• 1 tspground cumin
• 3 clovesgarlic
• salt and pepper

To finish

• 1large bunch fresh basil
• salt

To serve

• pebre
• or a fresh salsa

Directions

1. Fry the onions in the oil over a medium heat for 10 minutes until soft and golden.
2. Add the garlic and cumin, then take the pan off the heat before the paprika goes in. Add the shelled beans, the cubed pumpkin and enough water to just cover.
3. Use as little water as you can. This is a thick stew rather than a soup, and you can always add more.
4. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the beans are soft and the pumpkin has started to collapse.
5. Let the pumpkin break down. Now add the corn, whole kernels and blended together, and cook a further 15 minutes.
6. Stir it often once the corn is in, because the corn starch catches on the base. It should end up thick enough that a spoon leaves a trail, and orange from the pumpkin and paprika.
7. Season with salt and pepper and taste. Tear a large bunch of fresh basil in and stir it through off the heat. Serve with pebre spooned over, which adds the sharpness the stew lacks.

Technique

• Zapallo camote is the Chilean pumpkin used and butternut is a fair substitute.
• It thickens considerably overnight and is loosened with water.
• A version with fresh chuchoca, dried ground corn, is made in the south.

Substitutions

• Dried cranberry or borlotti beans, soaked and pre-cooked.
• Frozen corn, blended, which works though it is less sweet.

Variations

• With chuchoca, dried ground corn, instead of fresh.
• With a piece of smoked meat, which some households add.
• Made soupier, as a lighter summer version.

History

Fresh cranberry beans with corn and squash, the Indigenous three-sisters combination eaten at the summer harvest.

Frequently asked questions

What is Porotos granados?

Porotos granados is a soup & stew from Chile: summer cranberry-bean stew with corn, squash and basil. Fresh cranberry beans with corn and squash, the Indigenous three-sisters combination eaten at the summer harvest.

How long does Porotos granados take to make?

Porotos granados takes 30 min of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Porotos granados?

Yes, within limits. Dried cranberry or borlotti beans, soaked and pre-cooked. Frozen corn, blended, which works though it is less sweet.

What is the most important thing to get right in Porotos granados?

Use as little water as you can. This is a thick stew rather than a soup, and you can always add more.