Name: Bean purée bake (Puré de porotos gratinados al merquén)
Yield: Serves 6–8
Cuisine: Chilean
Ingredients: 50 g/2 oz/2 tbsp butter; 15 ml/1 tbsp hot pepper sauce; 45 ml/3 tbsp olive oil; 250 ml/8 fl oz/1 cup double (heavy) cream; salt and black pepper; crisp green salad, and crusty bread, to serve; 1 onion, finely chopped; 300 g/11 oz mild Cheddar cheese, grated; 700 g/1 lb 9 oz/2 cups dried white beans, such as cannellini beans; 5 ml/1 tsp paprika; 25 g/1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated

Preparation info

Serves
6–8

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Food and Cooking of Chile

By Boris Basso Benelli

Published 2014

About

Bean dishes are an important part of the daily diet in Chile, often eaten in the south of the country. This one is spiced with merquén, a traditional seasoning of the native Mapuche people, made from smoked chillies with salt and coriander seeds. This sustaining bake makes a complete vegetarian main meal but can also be served as an accompaniment to roasted meat on a cold winter’s day.