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1
Brown the Chorizo
5 Mins
Medium heat, ~175°C (350°F)
Heat half the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the sliced chorizo and cook for 5 minutes, until it releases its red oil and the edges crisp a little. Lift the chorizo out with a slotted spoon and set it aside, leaving the oil in the pot.
Use semi-cured Spanish chorizo — fresh Mexican chorizo is raw sausage and will fall apart in the pot.
Done when: The chorizo has crisped at the edges and the oil in the pot is red and fragrant.
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2
Build the Sofrito
9 Mins
Medium heat, ~175°C (350°F)
Add the rest of the oil to the same pot and cook the onion and green pepper for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, smoked paprika and cumin and cook for 1 minute more, then stir in the tomato sauce and cook for 3 minutes, until the sofrito turns dark red and thick.
Do not let the paprika burn — add the tomato sauce the moment the spices smell fragrant.
Done when: A thick, dark red sofrito that smells sweet and smoky.
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3
Add the Chickpeas and Ham Hock
5 Mins
High heat, ~200°C (400°F) to bring to a boil
Return the chorizo to the pot. Add the drained chickpeas, the smoked ham hock, the bay leaves, the oregano and the saffron with its soaking water. Pour in the 1500 ml of water and bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that rises.
Skim the foam in the first minutes — it keeps the broth clear and sweet.
Done when: The pot is at a rolling boil with the chickpeas and hock covered by water.
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4
Simmer Until the Chickpeas Soften
75 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~95°C (200°F)
Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover with the lid ajar and cook for 75 minutes, until the chickpeas are almost tender. Lift out the ham hock, cut the meat off the bone in chunks and return the meat to the pot; discard the bone and skin.
The lid ajar lets a little steam out so the broth reduces slowly instead of staying watery.
Done when: The chickpeas crush easily between two fingers and the ham meat comes off the bone in chunks.
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5
Add the Potato and Pumpkin
25 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~95°C (200°F)
Add the potato and pumpkin chunks to the pot and simmer for 25 minutes more, until the potato and pumpkin are tender and the chickpeas are completely soft. The meats must reach at least 74°C (165°F) inside.
Add the vegetables late — they need only 25 minutes, and long cooking turns the pumpkin to mush.
Done when: The potato and pumpkin yield to a fork and the chickpeas are soft all the way through.
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6
Mash and Thicken the Broth
10 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~95°C (200°F)
Fish out the bay leaves. Press 3 or 4 potato chunks and a spoonful of chickpeas against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon — this is what thickens the broth the Cuban way. Taste and add the salt and pepper only now, because the chorizo and ham are already salty.
Taste before adding salt — the cured meats already carry most of the salt this pot needs.
Done when: A thick, golden broth that coats a spoon, with chickpeas, potato, pumpkin, chorizo and ham in every ladle.
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7
Rest and Serve
10 Mins
Serve hot, above 60°C (140°F)
Take the pot off the heat and rest for 10 minutes so the broth settles. Ladle into deep bowls and serve hot, with white rice and crusty bread on the table.
Resting lets the thickened broth settle around the chickpeas instead of running thin in the bowl.
Done when: A full bowl of thick golden stew with chickpeas, potato, pumpkin, chorizo and ham.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Rest the pot off the heat for 10 minutes so the broth settles, then ladle the potaje into deep bowls with the chickpeas, potato, pumpkin, chorizo and ham in every serving — and white rice and crusty bread on the table.
Cuba
3h
