Xerém

Ingredients

Maize

• 500 gcracked maize, milho xerem
• water, for soaking

To cook

• 2 litreswater
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 1bay leaf

Refogado

• 2onions, finely chopped
• 4garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 tablespoonsolive oil
• 2tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoonpaprika

Sometimes added

• 200 gdried beans, soaked and cooked
• pumpkin, in chunks
• sweet potato, in chunks
• a piece of cured pork, for a meat version

To serve

• olive oil, for drizzling
• grilled fish or stewed vegetables

Directions

1. Rinse the cracked maize in cold water. Cover it deeply and leave it overnight. Drain it and rinse it in the morning. Unsoaked maize takes several hours to soften. Put the drained maize in a large heavy pot.
2. Pour in the water and add the salt and bay leaf. Bring it up to the boil over a high heat. Cover it loosely and let it cook. It needs about two hours in total. Stir it every fifteen minutes without fail.
3. Top it up with hot water when it thickens too far. Making the refogado is done while it cooks. Heat the olive oil in a wide pan. Add the onions and cook them slowly.
4. Let them soften and turn golden over ten minutes. Do not rush this, because the sweetness matters. Add the garlic and cook it for a minute. Stir in the chopped tomato and the paprika.
5. Let it cook down for five minutes into a thick base. Season it well with salt and pepper. Stir the refogado into the cooked maize. Add the cooked beans if you are using them. Add pumpkin or sweet potato half an hour before the end.
6. Simmer everything together for twenty minutes. It should be thick, soft and just pourable. Add hot water if it stiffens too much. Cook it down further if it is too loose.
7. Taste it and adjust the salt again. Serving it is done hot in deep bowls. Slice the cold xerem and fry it in olive oil.

Technique

• The Algarve version of xerem is made with the same cracked maize and is usually served with clams or pork.
• The technique travelled to Cape Verde with Portuguese settlement and adapted to what grew on the islands.

Substitutions

• Coarse polenta can be used, cutting the cooking to about forty minutes.
• Tinned beans replace dried ones and save a soaking.

Variations

• A meat version cooks salted pork or chorizo in the pot.
• Cachupa is the related national dish made with whole hominy and beans.
• Some households sweeten leftover xerem with sugar and eat it for breakfast.

History

Cracked maize cooked slowly, taking its name and technique from the Portuguese Algarve while using American corn.

Frequently asked questions

What is Xerém?

Xerém is a main from Cape Verde: cracked-corn dish cooked soft, served at festivals. Cracked maize cooked slowly, taking its name and technique from the Portuguese Algarve while using American corn.

How long does Xerém take to make?

Xerém takes 15 minutes plus overnight soaking of preparation and 2 hours of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Xerém?

Yes, within limits. Coarse polenta can be used, cutting the cooking to about forty minutes. Tinned beans replace dried ones and save a soaking.

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

Let them soften and turn golden over ten minutes. Do not rush this, because the sweetness matters. Add the garlic and cook it for a minute. Stir in the chopped tomato and the paprika.