Africa: Cape Verde: Cape Verdean Cachupa Rica (Traditional Stew)

INGREDIENTS:

5 cups hominy (soak overnight in warm water)

olive oil

3 garlic cloves peel and dice

1 medium onion finely chopped

3 bay leaves

1 cup dried lima beans soak overnight in warm water

1 cup dried kidney beans soak overnight in warm water

2 lbs beef you can substitute with pork spareribs

1 blood sausage sliced

2 lbs cabbage or kale chop roughly

1 cup fresh green beans

1 chourico or linguica sausage sliced finely

¼ lbs lean bacon sliced finely

2 lbs plantains peel and slice

2 lbs sweet potatoes peel and dice 1-inch

2 lbs yams peel and dice 1-inch

2 lbs fresh tomatoes quartered

2 lbs squash peel and dice 1-inch

1 lbs chicken cut into chunks

Pepper and salt to taste

Cilantro chopped

Sofrito seasoning Fried onion, garlic, and tomato used as a base for cooking sauces and dishes

EQUIPMENT:

Pot

Pan

INSTRUCTIONS:

Combine 6 cups of water, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, onion, and bay leaves in a saucepan. Allow it to boil. Add the hominy and the beans. Cook until they are slightly tender.

Fry the ribs, the chouriço or the linguiça, the bacon, and the blood sausage in a separate pan and then add the green beans, the plantains, the cabbage, the sweet potatoes, the yam, and the squash. Stir thoroughly and put it aside.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and fry in a pan with olive oil until golden brown. Add the tomatoes and the mixture of meat and vegetables to the Hominy and beans mixture. Simmer over medium heat for 40 minutes. Add the sofrito as you like and let it cook for another 20 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave it covered for at least 30 minutes.

Put the meat and vegetables on the plate. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve the main dish in a separate plate.

Enjoy!

NOTES:

Cachupa is time-consuming to prepare, so you should plan to cook this dish a day in advance.