Receta para Sancocho

(A) Meats: 1 lb of beef (some soup bones can also be used), lean and cubed into 1 inch squares 1 lb of pork, lean and cubed into 1 inch squares 4 chicken thighs, skin on, cut in half lb. Smoked cooking ham

(B) Aromatics & Seasonings: 1 minced bunch of recao or culantro (Eryngium foetidum) 8 aj dulces (Capsicum chinense) 6 chopped large garlic cloves 2 large yellow onions, chopped 2 Green banana peppers or one large green bell pepper 3 Bay Laurel leaves 1 Tbs. dried oregano 1 Tsp. Cumin seeds 3 table spoons of olive oil tsp Annatto seeds tsp. fresh ground black pepper 1 tbs. Sea salt (if you are cooking for Egn take out the salt) Adobo to taste (when not cooking for Egun)

Culantro a key ingredient

(C) Root Vegetables & Other Ingredients 1/3 lb. Green Pumpkin (Curcubita mxima) 1 lb. Malanga lila (Colocasia esculenta) 3 large green plantains 1 lb. Yauta lila (Xanthosoma violaceum) 1 lb. Yucca (Manihot esculenta) lb. potatoes 3 fresh corn ears lb. White yam (Dioscorea ssp.) 2 tbs. white flour

(D) Procedure: Heat up the olive oil and place the Annatto seeds in it to render the red color. Discard the seeds and set aside the tinted oil. Brown the meats in additional olive oil, once they are seared, start incorporating all the aromatics except for the sea salt and/or the adobo if you are cooking for the Egn. If you are cooking for yourself and others, season to taste.

Peel the yautia, malanga, potatoes, yucca, white yam and pumpkin all cut into medium sized cubes. Add to meats one at a time every 5 minutes in the order in which they are listed, and pour 6 cups of water and add more water as it evaporates. Add the corn cut into 2 inch rounds. Using the fine grind of a box grater, grate the green plantains into a bowl, sprinkle with flour and adobo and shape into balls (like meatballs). Drop the plantain balls (bollitos de pltano) into the pot, check seasoning, add the annatto oil and keep on cooking in low heat and covered for an hour. Keep monitoring the liquid level as not to dry your stew.

You know your stew is ready when it had thickened and the root vegetables are all fork tender.