juan pablo mellado's porotos granados
Porotos granados is a traditional Chilean stew made from ingredients native to the region: fresh shell beans, squash, and corn. The dish originates from the Mapuche indigenous people, and the word poroto—unique to Chile and some parts of Peru and Argentina—originally comes from the Quechua word for bean: purutu.
The dish is among Chile’s most popular, and it’s one of my favorite things to eat when I’m there to visit family. It tastes like summer turning into fall. The earthy squash melts into the fresh beans and corn (all three crops are particularly spectacular in Chile’s late summer). The sweetness of the vegetables is balanced by fresh basil, chili, and aji de color, a Chilean spice similar to paprika. The aji de color is often infused in oil, an infusion called “la color chilena,” and drizzled over the stew before serving.
I especially like Chilean chef Juan Pablo Mellado’s version from his excellent cookbook Hecho en Chile. His recipe uses plenty of aji de color and not only uses “la color chilena” as a finishing, but as the base of the stew itself. The onions, basil, and chili are slowly cooked in the aji-infused oil before layering in the beans and squash. The corn is blended to a paste—a variation of the stew called porotos granados con mazamorra—creating a thicker, heartier stew. (For a thinner consistency, you can use chopped corn instead, a.k.a. porotos granados con pilco.) The result is a flavorful stew that’s cozy, nourishing, and naturally vegan. To me, it tastes like home.
JUAN PABLO MELLADO’S POROTOS GRANADOS
Adapted and translated from Hecho en Chile by Juan Pablo Mellado.
I’ve included a few small changes that I think make the stew even better. I add the corn cobs to the stew (and fish them out later) for a more pronounced corn flavor. I also add a splash of vinegar at the end for a hit of acid. And I layer salt early and often (don’t worry, it will not affect the legume cookery). In general, I’ve incorporated Joshua McFadden’s method for cooking shell beans, which I’ve previously written about here. In Chile, the squash used is a pumpkin called zapallo camote. The best substitutes found in the states are calabaza, kabocha, or butternut squash (don’t use a typical North American pumpkin which will be too watery). Sweet paprika works in place of aji de color; jalapeno in place of aji crystal. This can be made with dried beans, but really is exceptional with fresh shell beans if you can find them. If you prefer a thinner soup, chop the corn instead of pureeing it.
Serves 4.
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
2 tablespoons aji de color or paprika
1 medium onion, chopped
1 aji crystal chili or seeded jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 handful fresh basil leaves
3 1/3 cups (500 grams) fresh shelled cranberry beans (from 2.25 pounds beans in the pod), or 1.5 cups dried beans
2 cups (300 grams) zapallo camote, calabaza, kabocha, or butternut squash, peeled and seeded and chopped into cubes
2 ears corn, shucked
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
METHOD
If using dried beans, put them in a bowl or pot and add cool water to cover by a couple of inches. Soak overnight. Drain and rinse; you should have about 3 cups now.
Prepare “la color chilena”: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until the cloves just begin to brown. Remove the pot from the heat and add the paprika; stir and let sit for one minute. Remove the garlic cloves and discard them. Pour the paprika oil into a measuring cup and pour half back into the pot; reserve the rest for finishing.
Place the pot back on low heat and add the onion, pepper, half of the basil (roughly chopped), and a teaspoon of salt. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and golden.
Add the beans, squash, another teaspoon of salt, and enough cold water to cover the beans by two inches. Remove the kernels from the corn and set them aside. Break the corn cobs in half and add them to the soup. Increase the heat to high and when the soup begins to boil, turn down the heat to low and cook uncovered for 30 minutes, until the beans are soft and just tender (this can take up to one hour for dried beans).
Remove the corn cobs from the soup. In a food processor, puree the reserved corn kernels and add the puree to the soup, along with another heaping teaspoon of salt. Cook for about 10 more minutes, stirring to further break down the squash. Taste the beans frequently. The beans are done when they are very creamy and tender all the way through but not yet mushy or broken up (though a few will split). Taste and add more salt if needed. Stir in the red wine vinegar.
Divide stew into bowls, finish with a drizzle of the reserved “la color,” and top with the remaining basil (chiffonade, torn, or left whole).