Cuban recipe
Cuban-Style Red Beans with Smoked Turkey
Cuban red bean stew with smoked turkey, squash and sofrito. A pork-free variation made with dried beans and a thick broth.
- Preparation20 min
- Cooking2 h
- Total time10 h 30 min
- Servings6 servings of stew
- DifficultyEasy
Smoked turkey gives these red beans a deep flavor that pairs with garlic, cumin and squash. The result is a stew with a thick broth, tender beans and pieces of meat, served with white rice.
This variation starts with dried beans and fully cooked smoked turkey. It differs from traditional red beans by replacing the sausages and pork with turkey. Soak the beans the night before and adjust the salt at the end, as the smoked turkey already adds some seasoning.
Ingredients
Check off the ingredients you have.
Beans, turkey and squash
Sofrito
Cooking and finishing
Method
Soaking and cooking the beans
- Pick over the beans and remove any small stones or damaged beans. Wash them and cover with plenty of water, at least three times their volume. Soak for 8 hours in the refrigerator. Then discard the water, rinse and drain.
- Put the beans in a 4–5 liter pot with the 2 liters of fresh water and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil and, once boiling strongly, maintain a vigorous boil for at least 30 minutes with the pot uncovered. Skim off any surface foam and add hot water as needed to keep the beans covered.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking with the lid slightly ajar for about 45–60 minutes, or until the beans are tender inside. Maintain a gentle boil and check the water level. The time may vary: if the beans are still firm, continue cooking them before adding the tomato.
Sofrito and finishing
- While the beans cook, prepare the sofrito. Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the onion and bell pepper over medium heat for 7–8 minutes, stirring, until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the tomato purée, cumin, oregano and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until the tomato no longer looks watery and the sofrito is concentrated. Set aside.
- Check the label to make sure the turkey is fully cooked. Remove the skin, bones, cartilage and tough tendons; weigh out 350 g of trimmed meat and cut it into 2–3 cm pieces. Peel the squash and cut it into cubes about 2 cm in size.
- When the beans are tender, add the sofrito, turkey and squash to the pot. If there is little liquid, add hot water until the ingredients are just covered. Return to a boil and cook gently, with the lid slightly ajar, for 20–25 minutes, until the squash is tender and the turkey has reached 74 °C (165 °F) in the center.
- To thicken the broth, remove about 4 tablespoons of beans and 2–3 cubes of squash, mash them with a fork and return them to the pot. Stir gently and cook uncovered for a few minutes until you have a thick stew with whole beans. If it is too thick, add a little hot water.
- Taste and adjust the salt at the end. Add the vinegar if desired, remove the bay leaves and turn off the heat. Let rest for 10 minutes and serve hot, on its own or with white rice.
