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Gallina pinta
Beef, pinto bean and hominy stew
Sonora's beef, pinto bean and hominy stew
Despite the name, there is no hen in gallina pinta: the 'speckled hen' of Sonora is a hearty soup of beef, pinto beans and hominy, the speckles being the beans among the white corn. It is cold-weather food across the state, ladled out at family gatherings and in Hermosillo diners, and every cook uses bony cuts such as oxtail or beef shank so the broth turns rich and silky. The beans need soaking overnight, so start the day before. Serve it in deep bowls with chopped onion, oregano, lime and a dried red chilli crumbled over, plus warm flour tortillas. Chef's tip: add the hominy only in the last half hour, so the kernels stay plump and chewy rather than splitting.
- Total time
- 230 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz dried pinto beanssoaked overnight in plenty of cold water
- 3 ⅓ lb oxtail or beef shankcut into pieces, with the bone
- 12 ½ cups water
- 1 white onionhalved
- 1 garlicwhole head, halved across
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 ¾ lb cooked white hominycanned, drained and rinsed
- 2 dried red chillies (Anaheim or guajillo)stalks and seeds removed, torn
To serve
- 1 white onion (optional)finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano (optional)
- 2 limes (optional)cut into wedges
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 3 ⅓ lb oxtail or beef shank and 12 ½ cups water in a large pot. Bring to the boil over a high heat and skim off the grey foam that rises for the first 5 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Drain 10 ½ oz dried pinto beans and add them with 1 white onion, 1 garlic, 2 bay leaves and 2 dried red chillies (Anaheim or guajillo). Lower the heat, partly cover and simmer gently.
5 minStep 3: Cook for about 2½ hours, topping up with hot water if the meat pokes out, until the beef is falling off the bone and the beans are creamy right through. Don't add the salt before the beans are soft: that's the usual reason they stay hard.
150 minStep 4: Stir in 2 tsp salt and 1 ¾ lb cooked white hominy and simmer for another 30 minutes, until the broth tastes rich and the kernels are hot and plump.
30 minStep 5: Lift out the onion, garlic and bay leaves. Pull the meat off the bones if you like and return it to the pot; skim off excess fat from the surface.
5 minStep 6: Taste for salt and serve in deep bowls with chopped onion, a pinch of oregano rubbed between your fingers and lime wedges. It keeps covered in the fridge for 3 days and tastes better the next day.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 45 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 12 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gallina pinta take?
- About 230 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 210 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of white onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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