Carbonada Criolla – Argentine Stew in a Pumpkin

Name: Carbonada Criolla – Argentine Stew in a Pumpkin
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Argentine
Ingredients: 1 large winter squash or pumpkin, whole (3-4 kg), to use as the pot; 1 kg lean beef (shoulder, topside or rump), in 2 cm cubes; 2 medium onions, finely chopped; 1 red pepper, cut into small dice; 2 garlic cloves, chopped; 400 g puréed tomatoes; 500 ml beef or vegetable stock; 2 medium potatoes, diced; 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced; 300 g squash or pumpkin, diced (in addition to the one used as the pot); 2 fresh corn cobs, cut into 2 cm rounds (or the kernels stripped off); 100 g dried peaches, soaked and chopped; 1 tbsp sweet paprika; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp chilli flakes (optional, for a little heat); 3 tbsp sunflower oil; Salt and black pepper, to taste; 50 g butter, for brushing the pumpkin

⏱ 1 h 30 min in total🔪 15 min prep🍳 75 min cooking🍽 8 portiesMediumRío de la Plata

The carbonada is the Argentine national-holiday stew, and it is served inside a hollowed-out pumpkin that doubles as the pot. Beef, potato, sweet potato, corn and — the part that surprises guests — dried peaches.

That sweet note is not a slip, it is the signature of the dish: an inheritance from Andean cooking, where dried fruit in a savoury stew is ordinary. The other national-holiday classic is the locro.

For the pumpkin pot, look for a large winter squash with firm flesh; the small round ones are usually too small to hold the stew.

Ingredients

Measurements

🍽 8 servings

1 large winter squash or pumpkin, whole (3-4 kg), to use as the pot
1 kg lean beef (shoulder, topside or rump), in 2 cm cubes
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 red pepper, cut into small dice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
400 g puréed tomatoes
500 ml beef or vegetable stock
2 medium potatoes, diced
2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
300 g squash or pumpkin, diced (in addition to the one used as the pot)
2 fresh corn cobs, cut into 2 cm rounds (or the kernels stripped off)
100 g dried peaches, soaked and chopped
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chilli flakes (optional, for a little heat)
3 tbsp sunflower oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste
50 g butter, for brushing the pumpkin

Method

1
Preparing the pumpkin pot: wash the whole pumpkin well. Cut a lid off the top with a sharp knife. Using a spoon, scoop out all the seeds and the fibres inside. Brush the inside with melted butter and a pinch of sugar.
2
Pre-cooking the pumpkin: wrap the base of the pumpkin in foil, set it in a roasting dish with the lid on and bake at 180 °C for 30 to 40 minutes, until the flesh inside is tender but the walls are still firm. Set aside.
3
Browning the meat: in a large pot over high heat, warm the sunflower oil and brown the cubes of beef in batches, so the temperature does not drop. Take the meat out and set it aside on a plate.
4
In the same pot, turn the heat down to medium and soften the onion, the pepper and the garlic until tender and translucent, scraping the base to pick up the meat juices.
5
Return the meat to the pot. Add the paprika, the cumin, the chilli flakes, the puréed tomatoes and the hot stock. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
6
Add the cubes of potato, sweet potato and diced squash to the pot. Simmer gently for 15 minutes.
7
Add the rounds of corn and the chopped dried peaches. Cook everything together for another 10 to 12 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender and the stew has thickened.
8
Serving it the festive way: tip the hot carbonada inside the pumpkin you baked. Take it straight to the table with the pumpkin lid propped alongside, and scatter a little chopped fresh parsley over the top. The flesh of the pumpkin is eaten too: you scrape it out with the spoon along with the stew — which is exactly why it was brushed with butter and sugar before it went into the oven.