Habichuelas Guisadas con Calabaza (Stewed Red Beans with Calabaza)
By Von DiazPublished on December 21, 2022
Time
1¾ hours, plus 6 hours soaking
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
We prefer to use homemade sofrito and sazón, but you can use store-bought sofrito and/or sazón. If using store-bought products, taste the stew in step 4 before seasoning with salt and vinegar to taste. If you can't find jamón de cocinar, you can substitute an equal volume of chopped ham steak. Calabaza squash is typically sold precut in Latin and Asian grocery stores. Kabocha, butternut squash, or sugar pumpkin are good substitutes for calabaza (no need to peel the kabocha; butternut and pumpkin should be peeled). Serve with Arroz con Tocino or plain rice and with lime wedges, if desired.
Instructions
- Cover beans with at least 2 inches water in large bowl and soak at room temperature for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain well.
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add jamón and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in sofrito and cook, stirring often, until liquid is evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in sazón and tomato paste and cook until mixture begins to darken in color, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce, scraping up any browned bits. Add broth, 2 cups water, bay leaf, salt, and drained beans. Bring to boil over high heat. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low; and simmer until beans are completely tender but not falling apart, 40 to 50 minutes.
- Stir in calabaza and olives. Add extra water (up to 1 cup) if liquid has reduced below level of beans. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Cover; reduce heat to low; and cook until calabaza is fork-tender but not falling apart, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in vinegar and pepper. Season with salt and vinegar to taste and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve.
Time
1¾ hours, plus 6 hours soakingYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
This version of Habichuelas Guisadas con Calabaza (Stewed Red Beans with Calabaza) is classic Puerto Rican comfort food, as beautiful as it is tasty. Our recipe, developed by Von Diaz, began with sautéing finely chopped jamón de cocinar (ham steak) and sofrito (a mixture of onion, garlic, sweet peppers, culantro, and cilantro processed into a paste) in olive oil, building an intensely savory, flavorful base. After driving off the moisture from the sofrito, we added homemade sazón, a brightly colored, complex spice mix of salt, ground annatto, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, turmeric, and pepper, blooming the spices and infusing the rendered fat and oil with their flavors. Next, we stirred in a blend of tomato sauce, chicken broth, and water and slowly cooked dried dark red kidney beans (that we had first soaked overnight) in the flavorful liquid. A combination of calabaza squash and pimento-stuffed green olives filled out the beans with balanced pops of sweetness and brininess, in addition to adding splashes of eye-catching orange and green. Finishing with red wine vinegar and cilantro added vibrancy and citrusy freshness, while serving the beans atop the accompanying Arroz con Tocino (Rice with Salt Pork) made for an unforgettable bowl of rice and beans.
Before You Begin
We prefer to use homemade sofrito and sazón, but you can use store-bought sofrito and/or sazón. If using store-bought products, taste the stew in step 4 before seasoning with salt and vinegar to taste. If you can't find jamón de cocinar, you can substitute an equal volume of chopped ham steak. Calabaza squash is typically sold precut in Latin and Asian grocery stores. Kabocha, butternut squash, or sugar pumpkin are good substitutes for calabaza (no need to peel the kabocha; butternut and pumpkin should be peeled). Serve with Arroz con Tocino or plain rice and with lime wedges, if desired.
Instructions
- Cover beans with at least 2 inches water in large bowl and soak at room temperature for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain well.
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add jamón and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in sofrito and cook, stirring often, until liquid is evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in sazón and tomato paste and cook until mixture begins to darken in color, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce, scraping up any browned bits. Add broth, 2 cups water, bay leaf, salt, and drained beans. Bring to boil over high heat. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low; and simmer until beans are completely tender but not falling apart, 40 to 50 minutes.
- Stir in calabaza and olives. Add extra water (up to 1 cup) if liquid has reduced below level of beans. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Cover; reduce heat to low; and cook until calabaza is fork-tender but not falling apart, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in vinegar and pepper. Season with salt and vinegar to taste and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve.
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