Soup and stew season is upon us!
Funnily enough, I was working on a story on Indian food for Edible Long Island when I spotted my kind of calabaza in the pumpkin section of Patel Brothers (a nationwide chain of Indian/South Asian groceries stores) in Hicksville, and made sure to buy a big hunk on the way out after my interview with the manager.
Calabaza
I say “funnily”, not just because I found Caribbean calabaza in an Indian shop — which in and of itself has some sort of sardonic Christopher Columbus karma about it — but that because of immigration patterns, i can no longer find the Puerto Rican variety in Latin groceries where it belongs. All the Puerto Ricans have married out or moved out and been replaced by Central Americans who use kabochas or some other varieties which are not quite right for me!
(For more on calabaza and a classic Puerto Rican rice and beans recipe, click here!)
This smells ever so good bubbling up on the stove….
So, the calabaza inspired me to soak some garbanzos, dig out some chicken andouille from Aidell’s that was in my freezer and get busy making stew. I brought some to my colleague Jainy, who is from India and was my guide through the research for the article, and she loved this different treatment of pumpkin. So did her mom, apparently, which is high praise indeed. They had them with parathas…I love New York and our jumble of cultures!
Thick and delicious and packed with interesting textures!
Chick Pea, Andouille and Winter Squash Stew
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 Cup onion, chopped
1 Cup green pepper, chopped
1-2 Tbs garlic, chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
1 Cup andouille or other spicy heat and serve sausage
4 Cups cooked squash or pumpkin in the cooking liquid
2 Bay leaves
1 tsp oregano
2 Cups garbanzos, drained
Salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot until fragrant. Saute the onion for a minute at medium, then add the green pepper, cook another minute, then the garlic, cook another minute, then add the tomato and allow it all to cook at low for another five minutes, adding a bit of oil if you need more moisture.
Stir in the sausage and raise the temperature to medium high. Add the sausage and sauté for 2 minutes or until it stats to brown. Then add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for ten minutes. Serve with rice or couscous.
Hot, Cheap & Easy 
Mmmmm, sausage plus squashage! A dream combination for a beautiful, soul-satisfying stew.
Indeed! We love this stuff around here…
Lovely stuff. As so often happens, great extra info in the comments. I hope you are well Natalia.
Best,
Conor
Thank you Conor! I am coming for a visit by you this morning. Finally catching up!
Excellent. I look forward to it.
I wouldn’t have thought of doing that and I didn’t realise there was so much pumpkin variety. It looks very good with sausage and garbanzos 😉
There are loads of pumpkin types…they are native to the Americas! The native people ate The Three Sisters: corn, pumpkin, and beans (they grow symbiotically…the beans climb the corn. The corn shades the squash. They each deposit nitrogen and other nutrients to the soil that the others need!) and they provide almost perfect nutrition,.
Wow! Very cool 🙂
I love food history!
Me too!
by the way, I am reading The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World’s Greatest Piece of Cheese, by Michael Paterniti…true story from Guzmán, Spain. You Would Love It.
I just read a couple of reviews – it sounds very good. I’ll have to buy it and visit Guzmán – thanks 🙂