This slow-cooked corn (hominy) and bean stew is made with vegetables (plantains, sweet potatoes, squash, and yams), meat (marinated pork, chorizo sausages, or tuna), and spices (bay leaves, garlic, and pimento). It is the perfect “poor man’s dish” – inexpensive, filling, and packed with protein.
It hails from Cape Verde, a ten-island archipelago off the west African coast, and dates back to the 15th century when Portuguese settlers first began growing American vegetables. The dish comes in two varieties – cachupa rica (rich) and cachupa pobre (poor), the only difference between the two being that rica is made with meat while pobre is made with vegetables.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Cachupinha is a simple and easy version of Cape Verde's national dish, cachupa. It's usually made with a combination of hominy, squash, fava beans, tomatoes, chouriço sausage, peppercorns, coriander, onions, olive oil, and salt. The onions, sausage, and peppercorns are sautéed in olive oil, and then mixed with the soaked hominy and the rest of the ingredients.
The mixture is brought to a boil and simmered until the vegetables become soft. The dish is seasoned with salt and sprinkled with chopped coriander before serving.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Polvo a modo ze de lino is a traditional dish originating from Cape Verde. This stew is usually made with a combination of octopus, tomatoes, onions, garlic, hot peppers (usually habanero), oil, and bay leaves. The octopus is washed and cut into pieces and then placed in a pot with oil and bay leaves.
The ingredients are cooked for about half an hour before they're mixed with the tomatoes, garlic, diced onions, and hot peppers. The stew is simmered over medium heat with occasional stirring until the sauce thickens and everything is tender. It's recommended to serve the dish with jagacida (rice and beans) and a fresh green salad on the side.
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