Sancocho
It is said of a person who has been under the sweltering sun that he is sancochao - blistering hot or "stewing." This Puerto Rican stew best illustrates the one-step cooking method, a typical food preparation that has prevailed for five hundred years in Puerto Rican homes, primarily because it allows the latitude for batch cooking a nutritious meal in a single pot.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1-1/2 pounds top round beef cubed into 1-1/2-inch pieces
- 1/3 cup yellow onion chopped
- 1/3 cup green pepper chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped celery
- 4 ajies dulce; seeded and minced
- 5 sprigs of cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 medium tomatoes cored and chopped
- 4 quarts water or beef stock
- 2 green bananas peeled and slice into 1-inch pieces
- 1 yellow plantain peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 medium sweet potato 1/2 pound, diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 pound West Indian Pumpkin or substitute with butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces
- 2 medium potatoes scrubbed clean and quartered
- 1 large chayote peeled, cored, and diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large yautia peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small yuca peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces
- 2 ears of white corn cleaned and sliced into 6 parts each
Instructions
- In a large caldero, over low-to-medium heat, combine olive oil, garlic, and onions, stir until beef is brown on all sides and onions begin to caramelize
- Fold in chopped pepper, celery, aji dulce, cilantro, salt, pepper, tomatoes, and 1 quart of beef stock
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes or so, then cook on high until until stock is reduced by half
- Stir beef, then fold in all the remaining vegetables and beef stock
- Continue to cook until meat is tender and the vegetables soft
- You might need to add a bit more water to get it just the way you like it. Sancocho is a thick soup.
Video
Notes
Serving Suggestions: Since this soup contains beef and vegetables, it is hearty already. Serve alongside a freshly baked french bread and use the bread to soak up some of this delicious flavor.