We must demand more fresh sweet corn in daily cooking. Cobs or panochas are delicious cooked on the grill at summer barbecues, but they also have a place in dishes beyond salads, as you know in Latin America. Pomegranate beans are a good example, a great spoonful of the chilean cuisine that the whole planet deserves to know.
The pomegranate beans They are a type of traditional bean or bean from Chile that could be compared to Spanish pochas, since they are harvested when they are still fresh and are usually bought with their pod in the markets. We have prepared the dish with cooked beans canned, but it could be made with any good jarred beans, that are not very large.
We learned about this recipe thanks to @lefaltapicante on Instagram, where she usually shares the delicacies she cooks or eats around the world – very international – and also publishes several recipes to encourage us to try other things at home. As he tells us, the combination of beans, corn and pumpkin It is typical of Mesoamerica and is considered a formula for longevity as it is a nutritionally complete meal, as well as humble and, it must be said, extremely tasty.
Curiously, it has fresh basil, but if you don't have it at home you can omit it or use another herb to taste, such as parsley or cilantro – which I can't resist. The quantities are a little indicative Be careful, although I think it looks better if the three main ingredients (“the three sisters”) are balanced.
Finely chop the onion and peeled garlic; cut the peeled pumpkin without seeds into small cubes, wash and chop the fresh basil and remove the kernels from the corn cobs by cutting them with a knife with a large, sharp blade, carefully they jump. Drain the beans or beans.
Heat a little oil in the bottom of a saucepan over medium heat and add the onion. Sauté a little with a little salt and add the chopped or grated garlic. Let it simmer for a few minutes over low heat, add a little chopped basilpaprika and cumin and stir.
Add the pumpkin, stir lightly and add the corn. Cook the whole with a little more salt giving it a few spins before covering with vegetable broth, reserving liquid to adjust as you go to taste. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook, covered, until the vegetables are tender.
Optionally, blend a little with the hand mixer If you prefer a creamier texture, or separate a few ladles and blend separately in a food processor or blender, and return to the pot. Add the cooked beans, mix very gently, correct the liquid level and cook everything together for about 10-20 minutes over low heat.
Serve with more fresh basil or cilantro or parsley to taste.
What to accompany pomegranate beans with
This stew, served in generous portions, is perfect to be a complete single plate, satisfying and very nutritious, which we can accompany with good bread to bread or, if we want to lengthen the portions, white rice or a little quinoa. It's even better the next day.
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