Cargamanto Bean Stew

Summer isn’t normally stew time here on the East Coast, but with a couple of days of temps in the 70s, we took advantage.

Traditionally, this stew is served as part of bandeja paisa (Paisa is the Northwestern part of Colombia. Bandeja means platter). The rest of the platter varies from rice, ground meat, steak, egg, plantain, avocado, pork rind, breads etc. It depends on where you try it. The idea is a generous amount of food with a mix of beans, meats and rice.

Cargamanto are plumper and creamier than regular red beans with an unusual meatiness. Think big fat, lima bean. The recipe below is a vegan variation of those found in bandeja paisa (it’s usually made with chicken or pork). The tomato adds a natural tang. The cumin and allspice provide smokiness and aroma. I recommend serving it with rice or with bread for dipping.

Note that if you don’t see cargamanto in the store, other name for the same bean are Roman and Cranberry beans. Next time I’d like to try in a chili. Recipe is adapted from this site.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 3
Ingredients:
2 cups rehydrated beans
1,5 cups tomatoes
½ onion, chopped small
1 T allspice
2 T cumin powder
1 T garlic
salt to taste
pepper to taste
chili powder to taste

Method:
Cook onions in pan on medium-low heat, till they begin to get translucent. Next add in all other ingredients. Mix in well. Cover and bring to a boil, then to a simmer and cover. Once the tomatoes have broken down, it’s ready.