Cachupa is the national dish of Cape Verde, West Africa. A slow-cooked stew with highly spiced meats and lots of vegetables anchored by hominy and beans, cachupa is flavorful and warming. Each of the islands of Cape Verde makes a slightly different preparation of the dish. Cachupa pobre is made more simply, from cheaper ingredients, while cachupas ricas like the following recipe are laden with hearty sausages and a wider variety of vegetables, starches, and spices.
The cuisine of the Cape Verde islands is a fusion of European, African, Asian, and American traditions, represented in cachupa, with European-style meat prepared with African and Asian sweet fruits and beans, spices, and produce from the Americas. Today, cachupa is world-famous as an ethnic heritage preparation, and is made in home kitchens in the United States by Cape Verdean immigrants. The recipe given here is relatively traditional, but improvisation is in the spirit of the dish.
Recipe Servings: 20
+ 30 minutes resting
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups dried hominy, soaked overnight and drained
- 1 cup dried kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
- 1 cup dried large lima beans, soaked overnight and drained
- 2 lbs beef or pork spareribs
- 1 chouriço or linguiça sausage, sliced
- 1 blood sausage, sliced
- ¼ lb lean bacon, diced
- ½ cup fresh green beans
- 2 lbs cabbage, coarsely chopped
- 2 lbs plantains, peeled and sliced
- 2 lbs yams, peeled and cubed
- 2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 lbs winter squash, peeled and cubed
- 1 chicken, cut into 12 serving pieces
- Salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 lbs tomatoes, quartered
- Sofrito (a seasoning paste of sauteed garlic, onion, and tomato paste), to taste
- Chopped cilantro, as needed for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Combine water, olive oil, onion, garlic, and bay leaves in a stock pot, stirring to combine.
- Bring all to a boil; then add the soaked hominy and both kinds of beans. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until nearly fork-tender.
- In an additional pot over medium-high heat, brown the spareribs, chouriço or linguiça sausage, blood sausage, and bacon.
- Add the green beans, cabbage, plantains, yams, sweet potatoes, and squash. When combined, remove from heat and set aside.
- Season the chicken to taste with salt and pepper. In a skillet filmed with olive oil over medium-high heat, cook the chicken until lightly browned.
- To the stock pot of hominy and beans, add the tomatoes and the meat and vegetable mixture. Cook over low heat for about 40 minutes.
- Add the desired amount of sofrito and simmer for an additional 20 minutes. Then remove from heat and let rest, covered, for at least 30 minutes.
- Arrange the meats and vegetables on a serving platter and garnish it with chopped cilantro, if using. Serve the hominy and beans in a separate bowl.
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