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Carbonada en zapallo
Carbonada en zapallo: sweet-savoury beef stew with corn, sweet potato and dried peaches in a roasted pumpkin
Of all the dishes served for the 25 May and 9 July national holidays, carbonada criolla is the most theatrical when it arrives inside a whole roasted pumpkin, the lid lifted at the table to let out a cloud of steam. The stew comes from the Spanish-colonial interior and is beloved across Buenos Aires Province: cubes of beef braised with onion, tomato and pepper, then joined by corn, sweet potato, squash and dried peaches (or pears) that melt into a sweet-savoury sauce. Pieces of the pumpkin wall are scooped out with each serving. Beef stew cubes are cooked until tender, well past any pinkness. Overcooking the pumpkin is the common trap: it collapses when you pour in the stew, so roast it only until a knife meets slight resistance. Chef's tip: soak the dried peaches in a little hot water and add both the fruit and the soaking liquid; it gives the sauce its rounded sweetness without extra sugar.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the pumpkin
For the stew
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan). Cut a lid off the top of 1 whole pumpkin, scoop out the seeds and rub the inside with 1 tbsp sunflower oil and a pinch of salt.
Step 2: Heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a large casserole over a high heat and brown 2 lb beef chuck in batches, until deep brown on all sides. Set aside.
12 minStep 3: Lower the heat to medium, add 2 onions, 1 red pepper and 3 garlic cloves and cook for 8 minutes, until soft.
8 minStep 4: Return the beef with 14 oz chopped tomatoes, 2 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp dried thyme, 3 ¼ cups beef stock and 1 ½ tsp salt. Cover and simmer gently for 1 hour, stirring now and then.
60 minStep 5: Meanwhile, set the pumpkin and its lid on a tray and roast for 50–70 minutes, until the flesh is tender but a knife still meets slight resistance and the shell holds its shape.
60 minStep 6: Add 2 sweet potatoes, 2 potatoes, 2 corn on the cob and 3 ½ oz dried peaches with their soaking water to the stew. Simmer for 25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the beef breaks apart easily.
25 minStep 7: Ladle the stew into the pumpkin, put the lid on and bring it to the table. Serve in bowls, scraping some soft pumpkin from the walls into each.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does carbonada en zapallo take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of red pepper?
- Any colour of bell pepper, same amount.
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