RECIPE OF THE MONTH – CAZUELA DE FRIJOLES, COLOMBIAN STYLE

September 24, 2018 SouthAmerica

Two classic Colombian dishes are Bandeja Paisa and Cazuela de Frijoles. The first dish is a large meal served especially in the high country, is meant to be very satisfying usually served to people who have to work on the field, and this meal should ideally last them the entire day. The second dish is a more typical sized dish that could be served for lunch or even breakfast. Dishes that include beans are often times better the next day. The traditional Colombian cazuela could be of complex preparation, starting with fresh pork belly, and the right kind of beans from Colombia Cargamanto also known as cranberry bean, Roman bean or Romano bean, which is basically a red bean. For this recipe I am using red canned beans.

In my version of this tasty Colombian dish I am making a “hogao,” which is a very useful sauce that is utilized in many dishes. It is in Peru, and many countries in South America, what is referred to as Creole Sauce or Sofrito.

In South America it is very common to have a butcher offering the freshest cuts of meat, other places even grow their own game. This is something I miss here in the USA; it is hard to find fresh meat cuts that are from free range pigs or natural pig farming. For this reason I am using Honey Baked Ham, with the holidays around the corner this is a good alternative to use leftovers ham. And the flavored of this ham adds up to this tasty dish. Furthermore, the dish includes diced chorizo (sausage).

In addition, I don’t want the onions to show in this dish, therefore I am shredding the onion with a cheese grater. For the tomatoes its best peeling them and shredding them as well. What makes this dish a typical Colombian dish is the plantains that are used in the cazuela and served as a side dish. It is best for this dish to cook the plantains ahead of time, usually two plantains would be enough.

Start by cooking the chorizo or sausage, one will be used in the cazuela and the others are served as a side dish, same goes for the plantains.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 cup Honey baked ham chopped in cubes (the original recipe uses crackling pork rinds)

1 cooked chorizo, sliced

½ medium-sized yellow onion, shredded

3 tomatoes peeled, shredded

1 garlic clove, minced

1 packet Goya seasoning of Achiote and Culantro (Coriander and Annatto)

½ Tsp. Cumin

2 cans 14oz. each Goya small red beans

1 cup plantain cooked and chopped in cubes

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Garnish

Chorizo cooked and sliced

1 avocado cubed

cooked and fried plantains

white rice (optional)

Dry carne molida (optional)

Colombian arepa

Preparation:

For the “hogao” in a medium-sized pot over medium heat pour some oil, add onion saute for about two minutes, then add the tomato and cook for another two minutes, add the garlic, achiote seasoning, cumin, pepper, and saute for a few more minutes until fragrant.

Add red beans with liquid, ham, sliced chorizo, and bring it to a boil. Add plantains bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes over medium heat. Season with salt if needed, it will all depend on how much salt the ham has.

While the cazuela is cooking, peel the cooked plantains, and slice them. In a frying pan over hot oil fry the plantains turning them over several times until golden brown. Drain over paper towels and seasoned with salt.

Serve the cazuela while hot with avocado, plantains, sliced chorizo, white rice, carne molida and arepa as garnish. This bean dish should have the thick consistency of chili. Also in Colombia, it is typically served with Carne Molida, which is a type of dry ground beef. All of the garnishes should be sprinkled on top to increase the flavor of the dish as one progresses through the meal.

Enjoy!