Caribbean Style Sancocho Food

PUERTO RICAN SANCOCHO

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat; add onion, garlic, cilantro, white pepper, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is browned and very tender, about 20 minutes. Add stew meat; cook and stir until meat is browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Pour enough water over meat mixture to fill pot 3/4 full; add tomato sauce and beef bouillon.
• Mix green beans, carrots, celery, chayote squash, white beans, cabbage, green banana, yellow plantain, llautias, potatoes, pumpkin, corn, and green bell pepper (in this order), cooking and stirring after each addition. Cook until all the vegetables are tender and stew has formed a rich broth, 2 to 3 hours. Add more water or salt if needed.

TRUE DOMINICAN SANCOCHO (LATIN 7-MEAT STEW)

Steps:

• Mash garlic, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt together in a bowl.
• Douse chicken, beef, and pork with lemon juice in a large bowl. Drain half the liquid. Mix the mashed garlic, half of the onions, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and vinegar into the meat mixture.
• Heat the remaining 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat mixture in batches and cook until browned on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Transfer the browned meats into a large pot. Add half of the water, chicken broth, beef consomme, 2 bouillon cubes, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until meats are more than halfway cooked through, about 40 minutes.
• Combine pumpkin, sweet potatoes, eddeos, yuca, potatoes, plantains, corn, celery, carrots, green pepper, cilantro, and adobo seasoning in the simmering pot. Return soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low and continue simmering until the sancocho is thick and the root vegetables are soft, 1 to 2 hours. Stir in the remaining half of the water by gradual increments to replace any evaporated liquid.

DOMINICAN SANCOCHO

Steps:

• Cook longaniza (if using) with 1/2 cup water in a 12-inch heavy skillet, covered, over medium heat, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides and water has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces, then transfer to an 8-quart pot.
• Cook bacon in skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, then transfer to pot with a slotted spoon, reserving fat in skillet.
• Meanwhile, cut meat from beef shank into 1 1/2-inch pieces, reserving bone. Pat beef, pork, and chicken dry, putting them in separate bowls. Toss meat in each bowl with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Heat fat in skillet over medium-high heat until hot, then add beef and bone in 1 layer and brown, turning occasionally, about 7 minutes. Transfer to pot with slotted spoon. Brown pork and chicken in separate batches in same manner, transferring to pot.
• Add onion, peppers, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to skillet and sauté until softened. Add 1 cup water and boil, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Transfer vegetable mixture to pot. Add cilantro stems, oregano, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 3 quarts water to pot and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam, then simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
• While meat simmers, cut ends from plantains with a sharp small knife, then cut a lengthwise slit through peel. Beginning at slit, pry off peel, then cut plantains crosswise into 1-inch-thick pieces.
• Trim ends from yuca and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces, then peel, removing waxy brown skin and pinkish layer underneath. Quarter lengthwise and cut out coarse center fiber.
• Peel ñame and yautía, then cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces and keep in a bowl of cold water.
• Seed and peel calabaza, then cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces.
• Add plantain and yuca to tender meat in pot and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Drain ñame and yautía and add to pot along with calabaza, then simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Remove and discard beef and chicken bones.
• Add corn and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until corn is tender and all root vegetables are very tender (yuca should be translucent), 10 to 15 minutes. Sancocho broth should be slightly thickened from root vegetables; thin with additional water if necessary. Stir in juice and reheat, then season with salt and pepper.

PANAMANIAN SANCOCHO

Steps:

• Rinse the chicken and pat dry.
• In a small bowl, mix the salt, cilantro, oregano, garlic, and olive oil. Rub the mix all over the chicken and let it marinate for 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, peel and chop the yucca and the onion. Set aside.
• Heat a large pot over medium heat. Place the chicken in the pot, place a lid on it, and let it sweat for about 7 minutes.
• Add the onion and the chicken stock. Bring the soup to a boil and then let it simmer over medium low heat until the chicken is cooked through and soft.
• Raise the heat to medium and add the yucca. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer and cook until the yucca is cooked through (approximately 10 minutes).
• Serve with white rice on the side that is added into the soup when you are about to eat it.
• NOTE: This soup keeps well frozen and only gets more flavourful with time.

SANCOCHO (DOMINICAN MEAT AND VEGETABLES STEW)

Steps:

• Trim the excess fat of the meat and rinse well with lemon juice or vinegar.
• To season the meat, add 1 teaspoon dry adobo, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon oregano and sofrito. Mix it all together to coat the meat well.
• In a 6 qts pot or caldero, heat up oil over medium high heat. Add the meat to the pot, and sear until brown all around. Cover the pot with a lid and lower the heat to medium. Let the meat cook until tender, about 30 - 40 minutes. Be sure to add water as needed throughout so that the meat doesn't burn. Remove the meat from the pot and set it aside for later.
• While the meat cooks, peel and cut the vegetables into 1-inch pieces, except for the squash, which you want to peel and cut into two large pieces.
• Add all the vegetables to the pot and add water until you've filled ¾ of the pot. Bring to a boil. Do not overfill the pot because you will be adding in the meat later.
• When the water begins to boil, add the chicken bouillon and allspice or malagueta. Let it cook for about 15 - 20 minutes.
• When the squash is tender, remove it from the pot and blend it with ½ cup of liquid from the pot and ½ cup of cool water until the mixture is smooth. Then, pour it back into the pot.
• Using cooking twine, tie together tightly cilantro, culantro (cilantro ancho), and thyme and add it to the pot. Let it simmer on medium heat for about 20 more minutes.
• Stir in ½ teaspoon of adobo, ½ teaspoon of oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the meat back into the pot and let it all simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10 - 20 minutes.
• With a colander, remove the herbs bundle we added earlier and the malagueta.
• Stir in freshly squeezed lime juice before serving.
• Serve warm with white rice and avocado.

DOMINICAN CARIBBEAN SANCOCHO WITH 3 MEATS

Steps:

• Wash and Cut up the chicken pieces into large bite size pieces. If you usually sear chicken before putting it in water to cook, then do so. Otherwise just put the chicken in a saucepan of water and bring it to a boil, and then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 1/2 hour while you peel and cut the roots.
• Peel and cut the malanga, yucca, plantain, chayote, and potato into large bite sized pieces. Peel and cut the calabaza or pumpkin type squash into 2 or 3x1" lengths. Cut the corn on the cob into 4 pieces each. Cut and chop garlic and onion. Cut celery into 1/2" slices crosswise. Celery leaves are optional.
• Skim off the stuff from the chicken broth. Then transfer chicken and broth to a large pot. Slice the chorizo crosswise into 1/2" rounds. Add the chorizo and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium.
• Add the larger roots and veggies, more water to cover, and then the smaller onion, garlic and celery, and then the seasonings. Bring to a boil and then lower to simmer for about 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Continue to simmer until the potatoes test done by putting a fork through.
• Turn the heat off and serve,, one piece of corn cob with each serving.

CARIBBEAN STYLE SANCOCHO

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium to low heat; add garlic, meat, and onions, cooking until meat is well browned and onions start to caramelize, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the green pepper, celery, aji dulce (if using), cilantro, salt, pepper, and beef stock; cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 1 hour (if using chicken you will not need to cook this long).
• Add remaining ingredients and continue to cook until meat is tender and vegetables are soft, an additional 30 minutes.
• NOTE: You may find the corn difficult to cut into rounds. What I do is cook it first either by boiling or in the microwave. This softens the cob so it is easier to cut. I add the corn at serving.

SANCOCHO

Steps:

• To make the recaito, process the onion, bell pepper, frying pepper, garlic and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a blender until it resembles a very chunky sauce. Add the cilantro and blend until the sauce is combined and has a slightly chunky consistency, about 30 seconds. Set aside 1/2 cup of the recaito you've just made and freeze the rest for future preparations.
• Add the remaining olive oil to a very large, heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Dry the oxtails and add salt and pepper. Brown the oxtails in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside on a plate or platter.
• Remove excess fat from the pot you browned the oxtails in, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pot. Add the reserved 1/2 cup recaito and saute until fragrant. Add the adobo, oregano and bay leaves, then stir in the tomato sauce and saute for 1 minute. Add the red wine and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper to taste, remembering that as the broth reduces it will become saltier; don't go overboard. Add the oxtails back to the pot. Lower the heat and cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly cracked. Simmer until the meat is beginning to become tender and fall apart, about 2 hours.
• Skim the fat off the top of the stew. Add the potatoes, yucca, plantains, pumpkin and corn. Top with more chicken stock, if necessary, to cover all the vegetables. Put the lid back on and simmer until the root vegetables are tender, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Taste the broth, season with salt and pepper and garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve with a side of rice if desired.

SANCOCHO

Steps:

• Put all ingredients except salt, pepper, and corn in a large soup or stock pot.
• Add enough water or chicken broth to cover.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour.
• Remove chicken, discard skin, and peel meat from the bones.
• Break the meat into fairly large pieces and return to the pot.
• Add corn, salt and pepper to taste.
• Simmer for about 20 minutes longer.

SANCOCHO

Steps:

• Place the water in a large saucepan and add the meats, garlic, onion, cilantro, peppers, oregano, salt, pepper and Tabasco. Cook over medium heat until the meat is soft, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Remove the pork chops with a slotted spoon. Remove the bones and return to the pan. Add the pumpkin and the corn and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the yams, plantains, yuca, batata and yautia, and continue to simmer until the tubers soften and thicken the broth, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings and add vinegar and additional Tabasco, if desired. Serve with white rice and avocado.

STEW - COLOMBIA - SANCOCHO ANTIOQUEñO

Steps:

• 1) Pour water into a large pot and add all the meat (beef, pork, chicken and chorizo), the oil, the green onions, cumin, cilantro, parsley (if using), salt and pepper and the Goya seasoning. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium-low stir thoroughly, and cook, covered, for 45 minutes.
• 2) Add the corn and plantain. Bring to a boil, cover and lower to medium-low heat. Cook for another 30 minutes.
• 3) Add the potatoes and the shredded carrots. Bring to a boil, check the flavor and correct seasonings, cover and cook for another 30 minutes over medium-low heat.
• 4) Finally, add the yuca and bring to a boil once more. Cover and cook for 15 or 20 minutes more or until the yuca is tender.
• 5) Remove the cilantro green onions and parsley, if you are using it, serve. (Good hint: Digging for the cilantro, green onions and parsley can be a pain. So, I use a small mesh bag, place the green onions and cilantro inside it, tie it and drop it into the water. That way, all I need to do is remove the little bag instead of having to dig.).

SANCOCHO

Steps:

• Peel and cut the yuca, yautia, green plantain and yellow plantain into 1-inch pieces. Scrape out the seeds, then chop the calabaza, skin on, into 1-inch pieces. Put each ingredient in a separate bowl, adding water to cover vegetables in order to prevent them from turning brown while you prepare the rest of the soup.
• Husk the corn, then slice it into 2-inch-thick segments. Set aside.
• Season pork (or beef) and chicken with 1/2 tablespoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add the pork and brown on all sides for 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a clean, large bowl, then add the chicken to the same pot, and brown on both sides for another 5 minutes, adding oil as needed if the pot gets dry. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the same bowl as the pork.
• Reduce heat to medium and add sofrito to the pot, scraping up any browned bits of meat and incorporating them into the mix. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until liquid has evaporated and mixture darkens in color.
• Return the pork, chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot. Add the stock, bay leaves and remaining 1 tablespoon salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• To keep the vegetables from falling apart, add each one in order of firmness, cooking each for 5 minutes before adding the next. Begin with the yuca, then yautia, green plantain, yellow plantain, calabaza and corn, cooking the yuca for a total of 30 minutes and the corn for only 5 minutes.
• Add chorizo and stir well to incorporate. Cook for another 10 to 15 minutes over medium-low heat until meat and vegetables are tender and break easily with a fork. Because of all the starches and meat in this dish, this stew tends to be thick and rich. Some of the vegetables will fall apart, giving it a porridge consistency. This is a good thing.
• Adjust salt to taste, and serve with fresh bread or white rice on the side.

PANAMANIAN SANCOCHO

Steps:

• Combine water, chicken, plantains, onion, cilantro, garlic, and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook until chicken is longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Remove the chicken and let cool. Add yuca, potatoes, and corn to the soup; cook over medium heat until yuca and potatoes are softened, about 30 minutes.
• Discard chicken skin and bones. Place meat back into the soup; stir to combine.