Bowl of Beans Granados
(click to enlarge)

Beans Granados


Chile   -   Porotos Granados
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 9 cups
***
50 min
Yes		 A very popular summer soup in Chile, which can only be approximated in North America (see Comments), but it's still delicious.

1-1/3
6
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14
14
2
14
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2
1
2
1
1
1/3
c
oz
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oz
oz
c

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T
t
c
t
t
t
Beans dried (1)
Onion
-- Vegies
Tomatoes
Kabocha (2)
Corn (3)
Basil leaf
-----------------
Oil
Paprika
Broth (4)
Cumin seed
Salt
Pepper 		Do-Ahead   -   (9 hrs - 10 min work))
  1. Soak dried BEANS 8 hrs or overnight in 3 cups Water with 1/2 T Salt (yes, salt).
  2. Drain Beans and rinse. Simmer in Water to cover until tender but still intact, 30 to 45 minutes. Drain.
Prep   -   (20 min))
  1. Scald TOMATOES one minute in boiling water. Quench in cold water and peel. Cut into about 1/2 inch dice.
  2. Peel KABOCHA and cut into about 1/2 inch chunks.
  3. Dice ONION small.
  4. Grind Cumin.
Run   -   (30 min)
  1. In a sauce pan (at least 3 qt), heat Oil over moderate heat (no more than 300°F/150°C). Stir in Paprika for 30 seconds.
  2. Stir in Onions and fry stirring until translucent.
  3. Stir in all Vegies items and Broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.
  4. Stir in Beans and bring back to a boil. Season with Salt, Pepper, and Cumin. Simmer 3 minutes or until Kabocha as tender but not mushy.
  5. Serve hot.
NOTES:

  1. Beans:

      In Chile, fresh shell beans (Cranberry Beans (Granados)) are used. These are commonly available in Chile during their season, and frozen for other seasons. Here in Southern California, these and similar shell beans are seldom found, fresh (expensive) or frozen. We must used dried Cranberry Beans, which are quite available on-line. Some suggest Pinto Beans as a substitute, but it's inexact. For details see our Cranberry / Borlotti Beans entry.

  2. Kabocha Squash:

      This easily available hard squash is a perfect stand in for Caribbean Calabaza (West Indies Pumpkin) and other Central and South American Pumpkins. For details see our Kabocha Squash page.

  3. Corn (Maize):

      This is whole kernels of Corn. Frozen is recommended as being a little closer to Chilean than canned, while fresh from the Cob is much farther away.

  4. Broth:

      Traditionally, Vegetable Broth is used. Some Chileans now use Chicken or Beef Broth. For an example see our Vegetable Stock.

  5. Comments:

      One prominent Chilean writer in Texas uses "high quality" canned Cannellini Beans. Canned beans are dried beans rehydrated and cooked, so our dried Cranberry Beans are more "authentic" than hers.
    --------------------
    The fresh Corn used in Chile is drier and quite less sweet than the fresh corn sold in North America. Frozen corn is somewhat drier than canned corn, so has been recommended. Fresh corn is much farther from the Chilean. Some cooks purée the corn rather than leaving it whole.
    --------------------
    Fortunately, Kabocha is very like the squash used in Chile, and the less common Hubbard can also be used. Some people cook the Kabocha much longer so it mushes into the soup.
    --------------------
    Some Chileans top the soup with a small Spanish Chorizo sausage. Some top with a spoon of Color Chelena. Some add a little Mérken to spice it up a trifle.
    --------------------
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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