Home Audrey’s Travel Recipes Porotos Granados: Chile’s Gift to the World

Porotos Granados: Chile’s Gift to the World

Audrey's Recipes

With apologizes to France, Chile is the most hospitable nation in the world. Actually, I adore the French, but no country tops the warmth and graciousness of the people of Chile. As a clueless gringa,  I recall with fondness my first trek to Santiago from Viña del Mar, when I asked a gentleman which train to take. Realizing I was Yankee tourist, he insisted upon paying for my entire transport. I politely protested. The gentleman replied, ‘You are a guest in my country, and it is my wish to host you.’ I recalled the words of Mark Twain, which goes something like: The act of kindness is a language the whole world can understand.

Porotos Granados

Porotos Granados is the national dish of Chile. The basic ingredients — pumpkin, cranberry beans, corn and tomatoes — are all indigenous to the New World, pre-dating the arrival of Europeans.

Vegetarians will be delighted to find that there are no meat products in the dish, and that the recipe is heart-healthy and absolutely delicious. A popular summer dish in Chile, you can prepare this recipe year-round, substituting with white or navy beans.

Porotos Granados

You can also spice it up a bit by using a hot green chili pepper, seeded and minced. Sometimes it is garnished with sweet basil. Keep in mind this is a stew – sometimes called Chilean Bean Stew in English – and like all stews the recipe can vary to your liking. I once devoured the sublime dish with a family who served it with a fried egg on top.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 cup pumpkin, peeled and cubed (acorn or butternut squash can be substituted)
  • 2 cups fresh sweet corn kernels
  • 1-2 cups water
  • 1 large tomato, chopped
  • 2 cups beans – shelled fresh cranberry beans (again, you may substitute with white or navy beans)

fresh cranberry beans

Preparation:

  1. Simmer the fresh cranberry beans gently in water for 30-45 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.
  2. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan and add the onions and garlic. Cook until translucent. Add paprika, pumpkin, tomato and corn, stirring until vegetables are soft and fragrant.
  3. Add 1 cup of water, covered for 5-10 more minutes. Add the beans (and more water if necessary) and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until pumpkin is very soft and begins to fall apart and thicken the stew. Simmer even longer, uncover to thicken the stew, or add more water if a thinner stew is desired.

Buen apetito!

Load More Related Articles
Load More By Audrey Hart
Load More In Audrey’s Travel Recipes

One Comment

  1. Richard Frisbie

    February 4, 2020 at 11:04 am

    This sounds like a nice, simple but good tasting stew – Thanks!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Check Also

Protected: Gochujang Chicken Bowls

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post. …