Chef Isabel
Caldo de Millo Canario
Caldo de Millo is the Canary Islands' clear corn-cob broth: piñas de millo, papas, calabaza, and cilantro simmered gently until the cobs sweeten the water and the bowl stays light.
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Potaje de Coles Canario
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Potaje de coles is Canary Islands spoon food: cabbage, papas, white beans, pumpkin and pork rib simmered until the cabbage turns sweet and the broth thickens around it.
Soups & Stews
Spanish
Comfort Food
Budget Friendly
One Pot
25 min
Active Time
2 hr 20 min cook•2 hr 45 min total
Yield6 servings
Potaje de coles Canario is the Canary Islands' cabbage stew, and it tastes of a small pot made to feed a whole table: coles, papas, white beans, calabaza, and a piece of pork rib giving itself up slowly. It isn't Galician caldo, and it isn't a Castilian cabbage pot. The island tells on itself in the pumpkin's sweetness, the cumin in the majado, and the bowl of gofio waiting at the table.
The method that decides it is the slow beginning and the soft ending. Cook the sofrito low, until the tomato has lost its water and the oil comes back at the edge, then let the cabbage cook long enough to turn sweet and tender. Stop too early and the stew tastes green. Rush the base and the broth has no back to it. Cocina de cuchara, spoon food, asks for patience more than skill.
If you can't find Canarian salted ribs where you are, use fresh meaty pork ribs and salt them ahead, or add a small piece of salt pork if your market has it. The flavor will be lighter, but still right enough if the beans are good and the cabbage is cooked down properly. No hace falta haber pisado España. You do need to weigh it, soak the beans, and let the pot move slowly.
My Margin beside this one says only: do not fear the cabbage. At first it fills the pot like a mistake. Then it collapses, sweetens, and becomes the dish. Nadie nace sabiendo, but this one is kind to a beginner.
Potaje de coles belongs to the Canary Islands' everyday cocina de cuchara, shaped by small gardens, potatoes, squash, legumes, and the salted or fresh pork that could stretch through a family pot. Its sweetness from calabaza and its cumin-scented majado mark it apart from the cabbage stews of the peninsula, even when the ingredients look familiar. Gofio, the toasted grain flour with older island roots, is often stirred into the broth at the table, thickening the last spoonfuls and making the meal go further.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
dried white beans (judías blancas)
Quantity
250g
soaked overnight
meaty pork ribs
Quantity
500g
salted and soaked if using costillas saladas, or fresh
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
60ml
onion
Quantity
180g
finely chopped
green pepper
Quantity
120g
finely chopped
garlic cloves
Quantity
4
2 chopped, 2 left whole for the majado
ripe tomatoes
Quantity
300g
grated
canned crushed tomatoes (optional)
Quantity
250g
use instead of fresh tomatoes out of season
sweet pimentón
Quantity
1 teaspoon
cumin seeds
Quantity
1 teaspoon
bay leaf
Quantity
1
saffron threads (optional)
Quantity
8 threads
water
Quantity
1.8L, plus more as needed
green cabbage
Quantity
800g
cored and cut into 3cm pieces
waxy potatoes
Quantity
550g
peeled and cracked into rough chunks
pumpkin or firm winter squash
Quantity
350g
peeled and cut into chunks
fresh coriander or parsley (optional)
Quantity
10g
chopped
fine sea salt
Quantity
10g if using fresh ribs; less if using salted ribs
gofio (optional)
Quantity
2 tablespoons per serving
for stirring in at the table
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| dried white beans (judías blancas)soaked overnight | 250g |
| meaty pork ribssalted and soaked if using costillas saladas, or fresh | 500g |
| extra virgin olive oil | 60ml |
| onionfinely chopped | 180g |
| green pepperfinely chopped | 120g |
| garlic cloves2 chopped, 2 left whole for the majado | 4 |
| ripe tomatoesgrated | 300g |
| canned crushed tomatoes (optional)use instead of fresh tomatoes out of season | 250g |
| sweet pimentón | 1 teaspoon |
| cumin seeds | 1 teaspoon |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| saffron threads (optional) | 8 threads |
| water | 1.8L, plus more as needed |
| green cabbagecored and cut into 3cm pieces | 800g |
| waxy potatoespeeled and cracked into rough chunks | 550g |
| pumpkin or firm winter squashpeeled and cut into chunks | 350g |
| fresh coriander or parsley (optional)chopped | 10g |
| fine sea salt | 10g if using fresh ribs; less if using salted ribs |
| gofio (optional)for stirring in at the table | 2 tablespoons per serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 5 to 6 litre pot or olla
- •Mortar and pestle for the majado
- •Skimming spoon
Instructions
- 1
Soak beans and ribs
Put the dried beans in a large bowl, cover with plenty of cold water, and soak 8 to 12 hours. If using costillas saladas, salted pork ribs, soak them separately in cold water for the same time and change the water once. If using fresh ribs, rub them with 6g of the salt at least 1 hour before cooking. Drain the beans before they go into the pot.
Salted ribs give a deeper larder taste, but fresh ribs are the honest substitute. The stew will be a little cleaner and lighter, so season carefully near the end. - 2
Make the sofrito
Warm the olive oil in a heavy 5 to 6 litre pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, green pepper, the 2 chopped garlic cloves, and a pinch of salt, and cook gently for 15 minutes until soft and sweet, with no browning. Add the grated tomato and cook another 12 to 15 minutes, until the water is gone and the oil shows at the edge. Take the pot off the heat, stir in the pimentón, and let it smell warm and red without scorching. This slow sofrito, the onion and tomato base, is what gives the potaje its floor. Rush it and the broth tastes thin.
- 3
Simmer beans and pork
Add the drained beans, pork ribs, bay leaf, and 1.8L water to the pot. Bring it slowly to a simmer, skim off the grey foam in the first 10 minutes, then lower the heat so the pot barely moves. Cook for 60 to 75 minutes, until the beans are beginning to soften but are not tender yet. Keep the ribs covered; add a little hot water if the level drops too far.
- 4
Add the cabbage
Pile in the cabbage. It will look like too much, and then it will give in, as cabbage does. Press it down into the broth, cover the pot for 10 minutes to wilt it, then uncover and simmer 20 minutes more. You want it olive-green, soft, and sweet, not bright and squeaky. This is potaje de coles, not a cabbage salad wearing a coat.
- 5
Add papas and squash
Add the potatoes and pumpkin or squash. To crack the potatoes, cut partway into each piece and snap it the rest of the way with the knife; those rough edges release starch and thicken the broth. Simmer 25 to 35 minutes, until the beans are fully tender, the potatoes give easily, and some of the squash has begun to melt into the pot.
- 6
Finish with majado
Pound the 2 remaining garlic cloves with the cumin seeds, saffron if using, and a pinch of salt in a mortar until rough and fragrant. Loosen the majado, the pounded seasoning, with a ladle of broth, then stir it into the pot for the last 10 minutes. Taste before adding more salt, especially if you used salted ribs. If you want the broth thicker, mash a few pieces of potato and squash against the side of the pot and stir them back in.
- 7
Rest and serve
Turn off the heat and let the potaje rest 10 to 15 minutes. The broth settles, the cabbage turns sweeter, and the ribs are easier to portion. Scatter over the coriander or parsley if using, and serve in deep bowls with a little pork rib in each one. Put gofio on the table for anyone who wants to stir a spoonful into the broth. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Chef Tips
- •Costillas saladas, salted pork ribs, are worth using if you find them. Soak them well and season late. Fresh ribs work, but the stew will taste cleaner and less cured, so don't pretend the two are identical.
- •Use a tight, heavy cabbage with sweet leaves, not one that smells tired before it reaches the pot. Cabbage is the main ingredient here. A sad cabbage makes a sad potaje, however patient you are.
- •Canned beans are allowed when the day is against you: use two 400g cans, drained, and add them with the cabbage instead of at the beginning. The stew will cook faster, about 1 hour less, but the broth will be thinner because the beans didn't give their starch to the pot.
- •The potatoes should be cracked, not neatly cubed. Cut partway in and snap the piece loose. Those rough edges thicken the broth in the plain old way, no flour needed.
- •This is better the next day. Chill it covered, then reheat gently with a splash of water. If you stir in gofio, do it in the bowl, not in the storage pot, or it will keep thickening until it turns heavy.
Advance Preparation
- •Soak the beans 8 to 12 hours ahead in plenty of cold water. If using salted ribs, soak them separately and change the water once.
- •The sofrito can be cooked a day ahead and refrigerated. Start the pot from there and nothing is lost.
- •The finished potaje keeps 3 days in the refrigerator and is usually better after one night. Reheat gently and loosen with water, not stock, so the seasoning stays clear.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 600g)
Calories
545 calories
Total Fat
22 g
Saturated Fat
5 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
15 g
Cholesterol
45 mg
Sodium
820 mg
Total Carbohydrates
65 g
Dietary Fiber
16 g
Sugars
12 g
Protein
24 g
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