Cabo Verde: Shrimp Calderado with Fava Bean Jagacida Rice and Verde Salad

April 22, 2023

Cabo Verde: Shrimp Calderado with Fava Bean Jagacida Rice and Verde Salad

In a story that sounds more like the plot for a pirate movie than historical fact, the Cabo Verde islands (aka Cape Verde) were uninhabited by humans until Portuguese explorers stumbled upon and colonised the deserted tropical island paradise in the 15^th Century. Sitting in the middle of the central Atlantic Ocean approximately 500 nautical miles west of the western most point of continental Africa the small chain of islands soon became a prosperous hub of intrigue. Three interconnected types of fortune hunters were drawn to the islands: merchants (trafficking goods and enslaved people between Africa and the Americas by boat), pirates (intent on stealing the merchant’s cargo on the high seas), and maritime privateers commissioned by European royalty to sail around waging war and capturing the cargos, crews and ships of merchants and pirates (for the financial benefit of the royalty and their war causes).

With such a buccaneering past it comes as no surprise that modern day Cape Verdean culture is said to be based on music, food and the telling of stories. And what wonderful stories they must be in this colourful and vibrant independent country that blends the traditions of Portugal, West Africa, the Caribbean and Brazil. This melting pot of histories has also allowed culturally diverse culinary traditions to marry for over half a century creating an eclectic creole food culture that has Atlantic Ocean seafood at its heart. This is a very natural cuisine that unmasks the flavours of key ingredients such as lobster, shrimp, fish, rice, beans, corn and olives and lets them speak for themselves.

our

CABO VERDEAN

Menu included

SHRIMP CALDERADO

with

FAVA BEAN JAGACIDA RICE

and

VERDE SALAD

SHRIMP CALDERADO

This recipe cooks enough for a family. Halve it if it’s just for a few of you

Ingredients:

· 1kg shrimp/prawns, shell on (we used fresh Australian prawns)

· 1 large red onion, peeled and diced

· 1 cup chopped tomato (fresh or canned)

· 1 green bell pepper/capsicum, chopped in small cubes

· 4 medium potato, peeled and cut in 1 cm cubes

· 2 cup of yam/sweet potato/pumpkin, peeled and cut in 1 cm cubes

· 1 large or 2 small green bananas, peeled and cut in 1 cm cubes

· 3 large garlic cloves, crushed

· 2 tbs olive oil (and maybe a bit more)

· 2 bay laurel leaves

· ½ tsp smoked paprika (or cayenne if you like it spicy)

· 2-3 fresh chilli peppers, sliced (optional – can be none or more to taste)

· ½ bunch cilantro/coriander, washed, dried, picked and chopped

· 1 cup vegetable stock (can be made from bouillon/stock cube)

· 1-2 tbs plain flour (if needed)

· salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Wash the shrimp in salty water and dry with kitchen paper or clean towel

2. Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a heavy large cast iron pot/Dutch Oven (or similar), and quickly sear the shrimp briefly in the hot oil on both sides

3. When shrimp are red all around and ½ cooked (takes maybe a minute) remove them from the pan and set aside to cool in a covered dish

4. Add a second tbs olive oil to the pan and sauté the onion and garlic on a medium to low heat until glazed

5. Add the bell pepper and briefly sauté then add the tomato, paprika, salt and pepper and keep cooking for about 5 mins stirring often

6. Now add the potato, sweet potato and sauté in for a few minutes

7. Now stir in the stock, bay leaves, green bananas and chilli slices, bring the pot to a gentle simmer and cover it with a lid

8. Keep the covered pot simmering (and occasionally stir with a wooden spoon), for about 20 mins or until the vegetables are almost cooked

NOTE: As the vegetables are cooking check the thickness of the cooking liquid which is becoming a sauce. If it’s getting too thick stir in a little water. If it seems too thin take the lid off and let the excess moisture evaporate

9. When the vegetables are almost cooked check the consistency of the cooking liquid. If it is still too thin to be considered a sauce thicken it by sprinkling some flour across the top off the ingredients then stir the flour gently through and keep cooking on low for out 5 mins stirring often

10. When the sauce is thickened and the vegetables are almost cooked it is time to stir in the pre-seared shrimp and the fresh coriander

11. Gently stir in the shrimp and herbs, adjust the heat to a gentle boil and finish cooking the shellfish stirring often for a few minutes until done

FAVA BEAN JAGACIDA (Jag) RICE

Ingredients:

· I cup (or can) of cooked Fava Beans (aka lima or butter beans), drained

· 2 cup long grain rice

· 2 tbs olive oil

· 1 medium onion, peeled and diced finely

· 1 tbs crushed garlic

· 2 bay leaf

· 1 tsp salt and pepper to taste

· ½ tbs paprika (or smoked paprika)

· 1 bouillon/stock cube

· 4 cups water

Method:

1. Take a medium size pot (that has a tight fitting lid that will be used later)

2. Pour the oil into the pot and heat to medium then sauté the onions with the paprika, salt, pepper and garlic until onions are browned but not burnt

3. Add the water, rice, stock cube and bring to the boil stirring often

4. Stir the beans and bay leaves into the pot and bring it back to the boil

5. Give the pot a good stir across the bottom to make sure no rice is stuck there then turn pop the pot lid on and turn the heat back to low (2/10)

TIP: from this point don’t take the lid off the pot until ready to serve the rice

6. Let the pot cook with the lid on for 10 minutes then turn the heat off and let the covered pot steam on the cooling element for a further 10 minutes

7. Now just let your rice sit warm in the covered pot until ready to serve

8. When ready to serve take the lid off and use a fork to gently fluff the rice

NOTE: Jag is a very flexible recipe and every Cabo Verdean family has their own variation of the recipe. As long as you stick to the 1 part rice to two parts water you can increase or decrease the amount of any other ingredients to suit your taste. If you don’t have Fava beans you can replace them with kidney beans or your favourite bean mix and it’s going to taste fantastic anyway.

VERDE SALAD

Ingredients:

· 1 curly lettuce (or other lettuce), washed dried and chopped/torn

· 1 cucumber, sliced finely

· 2 tomato, washed, cored and cut in wedges

· ½ red onion, peeled and sliced finely

· 1 carrot, peeled and shredded

· I small can corn kernels, drained

· 2 tbs coriander leaves

· 1 tbs vinegar

· 2 tbs olive oil

· salt and cracked black pepper to taste