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Puchero canario
Meat, chickpea and pumpkin stew
Puchero canario: the Canary Islands' big pot of meats, chickpeas, pumpkin, sweet potato, corn and pears
Puchero is the feast-day pot of the Canary Islands, simmered for hours on Sundays and at Christmas and on the night after pig-killing in the old days, big enough to feed a whole family twice. Beef, chicken and pork go in with chickpeas, then a long list of vegetables: pumpkin, sweet potato, corn, cabbage, carrots, green beans, chayote and even pears. This contains pork (pork ribs and chorizo). The broth is served first, sometimes thickened with gofio, then the meats and vegetables on a platter with mojo. Chef's tip: add the vegetables in stages by how long they take, so the pumpkin and pears hold their shape.
- Total time
- 190 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the meats and chickpeas
- 10 ½ oz dried chickpeassoaked overnight
- 1 ⅓ lb beef shin or brisketin large pieces
- 14 oz pork ribsin pieces
- 5 ½ oz cooking chorizoin one piece
- 16 ¾ cups water
- 3 tsp salt
- 6 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 onionhalved
- 1 ripe tomatohalved
- ½ tsp saffron threads
- 1 tsp ground cumin
For the vegetables
- 2 corn cobseach cut into 3
- 3 carrotsin large chunks
- 1 ⅓ lb potatoespeeled, in large chunks
- 14 oz sweet potatopeeled, in large chunks
- 1 ⅛ lb pumpkin or squashin large chunks
- 1 chayote (or courgette)in chunks
- 7 oz green beans
- ¼ white cabbagein wedges
- 2 firm pearspeeled, halved and cored
To serve
- 6 tbsp red mojo (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put the drained 10 ½ oz dried chickpeas, 1 ⅓ lb beef shin or brisket and 14 oz pork ribs in a very large pot with the 16 ¾ cups water. Bring to the boil, skim off the foam, then add the 6 cloves garlic, 1 onion, 1 ripe tomato, ½ tsp saffron threads, 1 tsp ground cumin and half the 1 ½ tsp salt. Simmer, partly covered, for 1 hour.
65 minStep 2: Add the 1 ⅓ lb chicken thighs and drumsticks and 5 ½ oz cooking chorizo and simmer for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 3: Add the 2 corn cobs, 3 carrots and 1 ⅓ lb potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the 14 oz sweet potato, 1 chayote (or courgette), 7 oz green beans and ¼ white cabbage and simmer for 10 minutes more.
20 minStep 4: Add the 1 ⅛ lb pumpkin or squash and 2 firm pears and the rest of the 1 ½ tsp salt and simmer for 12–15 minutes until everything is tender and the chickpeas are creamy. A common mistake is adding pumpkin and pears with the other vegetables; they disintegrate and cloud the broth.
15 minStep 5: Check the chicken reaches 165°F and the pork and chorizo 160°F in the thickest part. Ladle the broth into bowls as a first course, then serve the meats, chickpeas and vegetables on platters with the 6 tbsp red mojo.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 720 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 60 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 13 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does puchero canario take?
- About 190 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 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 dried chickpeas?
- Cannellini or butter beans, same amount.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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