Tomatican
Tomatican is a colorful Chilean stew, perfect when local tomatoes and sweetcorn are in season. It's often vegetarian, but I enjoy adding meat. It's versatile and pairs well with jacket potatoes.
Tomatican is a colorful Chilean stew, perfect when local tomatoes and sweetcorn are in season. It's often vegetarian, but I enjoy adding meat. It's versatile and pairs well with jacket potatoes.
- Carbohydrate 33.5937525 g
- Cholesterol 103.75 mg
- Fat 15.69977875 g
- Fiber 7.19815021896362 g
- Protein 30.49706 g
- Saturated Fat 2.2037558449375 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (546g)
- Sodium 135.63525 mg
- Sugar 26.3956022810364 g
- Trans Fat 1.2883272193875 g
- Calories 380 calories
Step-by-step
- Boil the kettle.
- Halve, peel and finely slice the onions.
- Crack the garlic with your fist, flake away the skin, chop then crush with a pinch of salt.
- Heat the oil in a lidded pan that can accommodate all the ingredients.
- Sauté the onions with the garlic and paprika until the onions are sloppy, beginning to colour and flop.
- While it cooks, cut the meat into kebab-size chunks.
- Pour boiling water over the tomatoes, pierce with a knife and the minute the skin peels back, drain, cut out the core and chop.
- Stand the flat end of the corn on a work surface and slice a sharp, heavy cooks’ knife down the length, pressing it close to the cob, slicing off the corn in a swift stroke, continuing as necessary.
- Increase the heat slightly, and brown the meat in the sloppy onions.
- Boil the corn in unsalted water for 5 minutes.
- Drain and add to the pan with the tomatoes, oregano and generous seasoning of salt and pepper.
- Stir well.
- Drape a sheet of baking parchment over the stew, pressing down to make contact, cover with the lid and leave to cook over a very low heat for at least an hour until the meat is tender and surrounded by a luscious thick sauce.
- Adjust the seasoning and serve.
Ripe tomatoes anchor this dish, supplying both the liquid base and the primary acid necessary to break down connective tissues in the meat. When choosing your protein, beef sirloin and chicken thigh behave quite differently under prolonged heat; chicken thighs tolerate extended simmering without drying out due to higher internal fat content, whereas lean cuts demand careful monitoring. Sautéing the sliced onions with paprika and crushed garlic in vegetable oil until they reach a translucent, sloppy state creates a flavored lipid foundation that coats the meat during the initial browning phase. Scalding the vine tomatoes in boiling water for roughly sixty seconds allows the skins to slip off effortlessly, preventing tough fragments from marring the eventual sauce texture. Slicing the kernels directly off three corn cobs yields fresh starch that thickens the simmering mixture naturally as it reduces. Simmering the stew covered with a parchment paper cartouche resting directly on the surface ensures even heat distribution and limits excessive moisture loss during the hour-long braise. Once the meat turns tender and the liquid concentrates into a thick, glossy sauce, the dish adapts readily to storage. Freezing works exceptionally well for tomato-based stews because the high acid content stabilizes flavors over a three-month storage window. Thaw frozen portions overnight in the refrigerator before reheating them gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching at the bottom of the pan.
