Bowl of Beans with Reins
(click to enlarge)

Beans with Reins


Chile   -   Porotos con Riendas
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 10 cups
***
1 hr
Most		 Named in more horse oriented times, this is a winter soup / stew, made with dried beans, not fresh. Time given presumes overlapping Prep with cooking Spaghetti. See also Comments.

1-1/3
12
6
2
12
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1/2
1
1
1
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2
6
4
c
oz
oz
cl
oz
---
t
t
t
t
---
T
oz
c
Beans dried (1)
Kabocha (2)
Onion
Garlic
Chorizo (3)
-- Seasonings
Cumin Seed
Mex Oregano (4)  
Paprika
Salt
-----------
Oil
Spaghetti
Broth (5) 		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   -   (15 min))
  1. Dice ONION small.
  2. Peel KABOCHA and cut into about 1/2 inch chunks.
  3. Cut CHORIZO into 1-1/2 inch lengths to be served one per bowl. If using Kielbasa, which is larger in diameter, I cut into 3/4 inch lengths to be served two pieces per bowl. Actually, cut into medium bite size pieces would be more practical for both, but not traditional.
  4. Grind Cumin and mix all Seasoning items.
Spaghetti   -   (30 min)
  1. Break Spaghetti into 3 inch lengths. Cook the usual way in boiling salted water until just "al dente". Drain and tumble with a dash of Olive Oil to keep them from sticking together.
Run   -   (30 min)
  1. In a 3 qt sauce pan, heat Oil. Stir in Onions and fry stirring until translucent. Stir in Chorizo and Seasonings and fry stirring 1 minute.
  2. Stir in Broth and Kabocha. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 12 minutes, or until Kabocha is tender.
  3. Stir in Beans and bring back to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes.
  4. When ready to serve, stir in Spaghetti. Bring back just to a boil.
  5. Serve hot with a piece of sausage in the center of the bowl (or 2 short pieces if cut kielbasa).
NOTES:

  1. Beans:

      The traditional bean is Tórtola, which is very common in Chile, but pretty much unavailable in North America. Pintos have been suggested, but the photo example was made with Peruvian Beans. For details see our Common Beans page. Some people use canned beans, which is fair since they are formerly dried, rehydrated, and cooked beans.

  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. Chorizo:

      NOT Mexican Chorizo, which is far different from Chorizo in the rest of the Spanish speaking world. A semi-cured cooking Chorizo like Chorizo de Bilbao is appropriate. If you can't find Spanish Chorizo, use a mild Kielbasa (as in photo example). For details see our Sausages page.

  4. Mexican Oregano

      This dried herb is a member of the Verbena family, and unrelated to regular Oregano (Mint family), but if you don't have it, use dried regular Oregano. For details see our Mexican Oregano page.

  5. Broth:

      Traditionally, Vegetable Broth is used, but Chicken Broth is also used.

  6. Comments:

      The pattern recipe cooks the Spaghetti in the broth, added along with the beans. I chose to cook the Spaghetti separately and adding it at the last stage to make it possible to use only part of the soup at a time. In Chile, this dish is often served with "Color" (lard and sweet paprika) spooned on top.
  7. 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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