Jigote is a traditional dish from Catamarca, so deeply rooted in local culture that it has its own annual festival in the town of Belén, with tastings and exhibits dedicated to this recipe.
It resembles a lasagna with its stacked layers, but unlike the Italian version, it doesn’t include any pasta: it’s assembled with layers of onion, meat, potato, cheese, and hard-boiled egg, all cooked together in a single pot.
Print
Catamarca Style Layered Stew
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Argentine
Ingredients
Nutrition
- Calories: 380
Ingredients
- 1 liter of water, for the broth (about 4 cups)
- 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
- to taste of pepper and oregano
- 2 of onions, sliced
- 4 of potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 6 of eggs, hard-boiled and sliced
- 500 g of goat or beef, cut with a knife (or ground beef) (about 1.1 lb)
- 200 g of Swiss chard, cleaned and cut into pieces (about 7 oz)
- 200 g of cheese, sliced (about 7 oz)
- 3 tablespoons of oil
- 4 slices of homemade bread, sliced
- to taste of salt
Instructions
- Prepare the broth, in a pot, add water halfway up and season with paprika, pepper, and oregano.
- Prepare the ingredients, slice the onions, peel and thinly slice the potatoes, hard-boil the eggs, and clean the chard leaves.
- Prepare the meat, if using goat or beef, cut it with a knife; if you prefer, ground beef also works.
- Oil the pot, coat the bottom of a wide pot with oil.
- Build the first layer, add a layer of sliced onion, followed by a layer of meat, then a layer of potato.
- Continue the layers, follow with a layer of chard, a layer of sliced cheese, and a layer of sliced hard-boiled egg.
- Drizzle with broth, pour a bit of the seasoned broth over the layers and repeat the layering process until all the ingredients are used.
- Top with bread, finish with a layer of sliced homemade bread on top.
- Cook, cook over moderate heat for a few minutes, until the potatoes are tender, and remove from heat.
Tips for getting it right
- Slice the potatoes very thin so they cook evenly along with the rest of the layers.
- Adding broth gradually between layers helps all the ingredients cook without drying out.
- Knife-cut meat is the more traditional version, though ground beef is also a common option today.
- Check that the potatoes are fully tender before removing the pot from heat, since they determine the doneness.
Traditional variations
- It can be made with goat meat, following the oldest version of the recipe, or with beef depending on availability.
- Some families add more layers of cheese for a creamier result.
How to serve
Jigote is served hot, straight from the pot, as a main dish.
It’s a highly representative dish of Catamarca, enjoyed at family gatherings and local festivities.
Recommended sides
- Crusty bread
- Red wine
- Simple salad
Did you know?
Jigote is so important to Catamarca’s identity that it has its own annual festival in the town of Belén, with tastings and exhibits dedicated exclusively to this dish.
Although it resembles a lasagna with its stacked layers, jigote doesn’t include any pasta, clearly distinguishing it from the Italian recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, although it's assembled in layers similar to a lasagna, Catamarca-style jigote doesn't include any pasta among its ingredients.
Yes, although the most traditional recipe uses knife-cut goat or beef, it's very common today to prepare it with ground beef as well.
The seasoned broth helps all the layers cook evenly without drying out, while also adding flavor to the whole dish.
It's held annually in the town of Belén, in the province of Catamarca, with tastings and exhibits dedicated to this traditional dish.
