A sweet and savory stew of beef, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peaches, and dried apricots, traditionally served inside a hollowed-out squash shell.
Ingredients
500g beef chuck, cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 potatoes, cubed
1 sweet potato, cubed
2 ears of corn, cut into rounds
2 peaches, peeled and sliced (or canned)
1/2 cup dried apricots
2 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large squash for serving (optional)
Instructions
1Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef cubes in batches, ensuring good color on all sides. Remove and set aside.
2In the same pot, saute onion until softened. Add tomatoes, cumin, and paprika, cooking for five minutes until the tomatoes break down into a sauce.
3Return the beef to the pot. Add broth, potatoes, and sweet potato. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for forty-five minutes.
4Add the corn rounds and dried apricots. Continue simmering for twenty minutes. In the last five minutes, gently fold in the peach slices.
5If using a squash shell, roast a large hollowed squash at 180C for forty-five minutes until tender. Ladle the stew into the squash and serve at the table.
Did You Know?
The combination of fruit and meat in carbonada reflects the colonial-era trade routes that brought dried fruits from Mendoza and Cuyo to Buenos Aires, merging Indigenous, Spanish, and Creole culinary traditions.