Cachupa Rica (Cape Verdean Corn and Bean Stew)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dried hominy corn, soaked overnight
• 1/2 cup dried kidney beans, soaked overnight
• 1/2 cup dried lima beans, soaked overnight
• 300g pork shoulder, cut into chunks
• 150g chorizo or Portuguese linguiça, sliced
• 100g bacon or salt pork, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 small cassava root, peeled and cubed
• 200g pumpkin or squash, cubed
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• water, as needed

Before you cook

• The night before cooking, cover the dried hominy corn generously with cold water in a large bowl
• In a separate bowl, cover the kidney beans and lima beans with cold water and soak overnight
• The next day, drain and rinse the soaked corn and beans
• Cut the pork shoulder into bite-sized chunks
• Slice the chorizo
• Dice the bacon
• Chop the onion and mince the garlic
• Peel and cube the sweet potato and cassava
• Cube the pumpkin
• Shred the cabbage

Steps

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat
2. Add the diced bacon and cook for 3 minutes, until it starts to render its fat
3. Add the pork shoulder chunks and brown them on all sides, about 6 minutes
4. Add the sliced chorizo and cook for 2 more minutes
5. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the pot
6. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until the onion turns soft and golden
7. Add the drained hominy corn and beans to the pot
8. Add the bay leaf
9. Pour in enough water to cover everything by about 5cm
10. Bring the pot to a boil
11. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot
12. Simmer gently for 2 hours, stirring occasionally and topping up water if it runs low
13. Check that the corn and beans are tender, continuing to simmer in 20-minute increments if they are not
14. Add the cubed sweet potato, cassava, and pumpkin to the pot
15. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender
16. Stir in the shredded cabbage
17. Simmer for a final 5 minutes, until the cabbage wilts
18. Season with salt and pepper to taste
19. Remove the bay leaf
20. Ladle into bowls, dividing the meats evenly between servings