Dominican Sancocho (Hearty Meat and Root Vegetable Stew)

Why you’ll love it

• The ultimate comfort stew, deeply flavored and filling.
• Flexible: use just chicken for a quicker, lighter version.
• Feeds a crowd from one big pot.

Quick facts

Ingredients

For the meats

• 1 lb (450 g) beef stew meat, in 1-inch cubes
• 1 lb (450 g) pork shoulder or bone-in pork ribs, in pieces
• 2 lb (900 g) bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
• Juice of 2 limes
• 6 garlic cloves, mashed
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

For the stew

• 1 onion and 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 14 cups (3.5 liters) water
• 2 green plantains, peeled and cut in 2-inch pieces
• 1 lb (450 g) yuca (cassava), peeled and cut in chunks
• 1 lb (450 g) yautía or taro (or extra potato), peeled and cut
• 1 lb (450 g) kabocha squash or calabaza, peeled and cubed
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 ears of corn, each cut in 3
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes (optional)
• To serve: white rice, avocado slices, lime and hot sauce

Step-by-step method

1. Season the meats. In a large bowl, combine all the meats with the lime juice, garlic, oregano, salt and half the cilantro. Marinate 30 minutes (or overnight in the fridge).

2. Brown in stages. Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef and pork with the onion and pepper. Cover and cook 15 minutes, stirring now and then and adding splashes of water so it doesn’t stick. Add the chicken and cook 10 more minutes.

3. Add water and hard roots. Pour in 10 cups of the water and the bouillon. Bring to a boil. Add the yuca, yautía and half the squash. Simmer 30 minutes.

4. Add the rest. Add the plantain, potatoes, corn, the rest of the squash and the remaining 4 cups of water. Simmer 40–50 minutes, stirring often.

5. Thicken. The first batch of squash dissolves and thickens the broth. If needed, mash a few pieces of yuca or squash against the pot. It should be thick, almost like a chowder.

6. Finish and serve. Stir in the remaining cilantro and adjust the salt. Serve in deep bowls with white rice, avocado, lime and hot sauce on the side.

Tips for the best result

• Add the vegetables in order of hardness so everything is tender at the same time.
• Rub a little lime juice on the plantain pieces so they don’t darken.
• Find yuca and yautía in the frozen section of Latin markets: already peeled.

Storage and reheating

Refrigerate up to 4 days. It thickens a lot as it cools; add water when reheating. Freeze the broth and meats, but root vegetables may soften.