Cachupa Rica

Ingredients for 7 servings:

• 3 cassava roots
• 8 m.-sized sweet potatoes
• 5 large carrots
• 10 leaves of white cabbage
• 8 large tomatoes
• 1 ½ kg pork, diced
• 250 g beans (Congo beans), white
• 250 g corn
• 1 handful of peanuts, chopped
• 2 onions
• 1 bulb(s) garlic
• 3 chili peppers
• White wine for deglazing
• 2 liters of broth
• Salt
• pepper
• cumin

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Rest period approx. 2 days; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 2 days 1 hour 40 minutes

A hearty, delicious stew with exotic ingredients, the national dish of the Cape Verde Islands

Two days before preparing this stew, the corn and Congo beans need to be soaked in a sealed container of water. If you want to skip this step, you can also use canned corn, although it will taste completely different, as canned corn is very sweet. On the day of preparation, roughly dice the vegetables and meat and tear the cabbage leaves into smaller pieces. Sauté the finely chopped onions until translucent and add the diced meat until nicely browned. Deglaze with white wine and pour in 2 liters of broth. First, add the corn and beans, then gradually stir in the vegetables. Add the tomatoes and cabbage towards the end. Let everything simmer until the vegetables are tender. Finally, add the garlic, peanuts, and spices. If desired, add a little chili. Homemade elephant foot bread goes wonderfully with this delicious stew. We got this recipe from a local cook while on vacation in Cape Verde. The original stew, “Cachupa,” describes the same recipe, only without meat. The cassava, by the way, is available from specialty retailers; we had to pre-order it.