Cachupa (Cape Verdean Corn Stew)
Cachupa is a popular dish eaten throughout West Africa. It requires a lot of time to prepare.
2 pounds corned beef brisket, cut into cubes
1½ pound salt pork, cut into big chunks
3 teaspoons apple cider or white vinegar
2 fresh bay leaves
2 teaspoons powdered smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
3 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 cup feijao Pedro beans (rock beans)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium-size onions, neatly chopped
2 large beef bouillon cubes
3 teaspoons tomato paste
About 18 cups watery
2 cups dry yellow hominy, well-rinsed
1 cup cranberry beans
1¼ cup large white fava beans
1 medium size madioca or yuca
4 cups collard greens or kale, rinsed and chopped
2 pounds chourico or linguica sausage, rinsed and sliced into rounds
Season the corned beef and salt pork the night before with vinegar, bay leaves, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, and 2 tablespoons crushed garlic. Let the meat marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
Soak the beans overnight as well.
In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the neatly chopped onions and the remaining tablespoon of garlic. Transfer the bay leaves from the seasoned meat to the saucepan. Sauté the onions until fragrant.
Add the marinated meat to the saucepan and let brown for about 10 minutes (5 minutes for each side). Remove the meat from the saucepan and set aside.
10 minutes
Add the tomato paste and some of the crushed bouillon cubes to the saucepan. Whisk until smooth.
Add the meat back to the saucepan, then cover with water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil.
Stir in the hominy, bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour. Make sure there is enough water in the saucepan, and check on the hominy about every 20 minutes to give it a stir.
1 hour
Remove the meat from the saucepan and shred it by lightly dragging a fork against it. This step is optional but can help break up some of the pieces of meat to make more space in the saucepan for the remaining ingredients.
Add the meat back to the saucepan, stir it again and add the cranberry beans, fava beans, yuca, and greens. If the ingredients seem too bulky, add about half of the greens at first and let it cook for about 5 minutes, then add the remaining ones. Let everything cook for about 50 minutes.
5 minutes
Add the chourico, and let cook for about 20 minutes.
20 minutes
Stir and taste the cachupa, then adjust the seasoning as desired. Leave it to simmer for another 10–15 minutes.
10–15 minutes
Remove from the heat, and let the cachupa rest, covered, for 20 minutes.
20 minutes
Enjoy with any complimentary or favourite side dish of your choice.
- •When preparing this meal, it is advisable to have a kettle of boiling water at hand throughout the cooking process so more water can be added at any stage when needed—do not use cold water.
- •You can also use white hominy instead of yellow; it all depends on your preference, although most people prefer to use the yellow hominy.