Carbonada (Beef & Pumpkin Soup)
This South American soup includes chunks of beef and pumpkin, plus plenty of hearty vegetables, all in a rich broth. My Argentinian friend taught me this version, but there's plenty of regional variation. All of them are delicious.
This South American soup includes chunks of beef and pumpkin, plus plenty of hearty vegetables, all in a rich broth. My Argentinian friend taught me this version, but there's plenty of regional variation. All of them are delicious.
Ingredients
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Olive oil
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1 Tbsp Blue Grass N12
2 pounds of beef chuck, trimmed of excess fat and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 pounds of kabocha pumpkin*, scrubbed thoroughly and roughly chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 large white or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped into small pieces
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2 bay leaves
1 (12-ounce) bag of frozen corn
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Salt
Directions
In a large soup pot over low heat add two tablespoons of olive oil, the onion, and the Blue Grass, and stir well to mix.
In a large frying pan over medium-high add the beef in batches with a little bit of olive oil. Remove them to a bowl as they brown.
After the onion has softened and become translucent (about 15 minutes), add the vegetables (except for the corn), cooked beef, and bay leaves, plus water to cover.
Bring to a simmer and cook until the beef and vegetables are tender (about 40 minutes). At this point add the corn, mix well, and then salt to taste. Once the corn has warmed, about 5 more minutes, serve the soup.
Leftovers reheat well and will keep for at least 3 days in the fridge. I like to serve the soup with either cooked rice (added to the soup), or bread.
Recipe Note
Recipe Notes
* If you can find the less common Japanese Kuri squash it works great as well. You can also sub buttercup or honeynut squash, the skin on these varieties is edible too. Can't find any of them? Peeled butternut squash chunks work fine, but the skin is tough so they must be peeled. If you end up with extra squash, you can try out this creamy soup or this Sardinian-inspired one.
Variations & Ideas
Flavor Boost
- Instead of bay leaves, use two teaspoons of our Sofrico blend.
• Geraldine on our team is from Chile - here's how they serve it: Garnish with fresh cilantro and top with an over-easy or poached egg.
• Vegetarian?: Substitute 3 pounds of small crimini mushrooms for the beef and cook them in 1/4 cup of olive oil until lightly browned, adding 4 minced cloves of garlic once they are nearly done. Add shoyu and kombu to the broth for flavor. I highly recommend the Sofrico flavor boost above as well.
• I also love serving this soup topped with cooked freekeh, fresh peas when they are in season (or just frozen ones), and either some hot sauce or Shabazi N38 for more heat.
Questions? Contact helen@laboiteny.com
