- Categories: Comfort Food, Plant-based
- Tags: Butternut Squash, Cumin, Mushrooms, Organic, Pigeon Peas, Recipe, Recipes, Sazon, Stews, turmeric, Vegan Friendly, Vegetarian
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican
- Seasons: Fall, Winter
A recipe developed for Loisa using their organic spices.
These stewed pigeon peas (gandules guisados) have butternut squash, and mushrooms that were first browned in a cast iron, spiced with sazón. I am pretty much addicted to these mushrooms and would not be mad atcha if you chose to just make them alone. Something tells me, though, you will want to have this stew. This winter demands it.
Note: The day we started to buy frozen gandules was the day I decided I would cook with them even more. They remain on the greener side when cooked under 40 minutes and have a wonderfully fresh taste, but no worries if you are stocked up on cans. Gandules in all forms are welcome here! In fact, the same goes for what squash you choose, and what mushrooms you prefer. Add more or less stock according to preference. I like this on the thicker side but my mom, for instance, prefers it brothy.
Ingredients
for the mushrooms
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4.5 cups mushrooms (sliced)
- 2 tsp sazón
- 1-2 tsp sofrito
- pepper (to taste)
for the stew
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 heaping tbsp sofrito
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 medium bay leaf
- 1 tbsp capers (or chopped olives)
- 3 cups frozen gandules (or dried, canned, fresh)
- 2.5 cups butternut squash (peeled and cubed)
- 3 cups vegetable broth or water
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- For: 4 Servings
- Preparation: 15 min
- Cooking: 40 min
- Ready in: 55 min
Instructions
for the mushrooms
- Drizzle olive oil in a cast iron skillet set under medium heat. When hot enough, add your mushrooms.
- When they start to let loose their liquid, add your sazón and sofrito, and stir. Once their juices are gone, they will start to brown. Stir less often so they can brown properly. Set aside as you work on the stew.
for the stew
- In a medium pot over medium heat, warm up your olive oil and sauté your sofrito. Add tomato paste, spices, capers, and bay leaf. Sauté another minute or two.
- Stir in the pigeon peas, butternut squash, water (or broth). Let this simmer for about 30 minutes, til the squash is tender. Add more water or broth if you feel it’s necessary.
- Then add in half of the mushrooms and let it simmer for another 8-10 minutes. The sazón that fried into the mushrooms will give the stew even more flavor. Reserve the other half for topping each bowl. Enjoy!
