Sancocho is Puerto Rican comfort food! This is my mom’s recipe that she serves with bread to soak up the delicious flavor. The mix of vegetables and herbs in this stew was influenced by Spanish Canary Island ancestors of some Puerto Rican families, then adjusted to the vegetables available in Puerto Rico, such as corn, pumpkin, and plantains.
Prep Time::40 mins
Cook Time:: 2 hrs 30 mins
Total Time:: 3 hrs 10 mins
Servings::12
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
3 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
1 pinch dried oregano
salt to taste
1 ½ pounds beef stew meat, cut into small pieces
2 quarts water, or as needed
½ (6.5 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cubes beef bouillon
1 cup chopped fresh green beans, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
⅓ cup chopped celery
1 large chayote squash – peeled, cored, and sliced lengthwise
1 (15.5 ounce) can small white beans, rinsed and drained
½ head cabbage, chopped
1 green banana, peeled and sliced into 3/4-inch pieces
1 yellow plantain, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
5 large llautias (yautias), peeled and quartered
6 potatoes, peeled and quartered
½ cup chopped peeled pumpkin
2 ears fresh corn, sliced into 6 pieces each
⅓ cup chopped green bell pepper
Directions
Gather all ingredients.
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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.
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Add stew meat; cook and stir until meat is browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes.
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Pour enough water over meat mixture to fill the pot 3/4 full. Add tomato sauce and beef bouillon.
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Stir in the remaining ingredients, one at a time, cooking slightly after each addition in the following order: green beans, carrots, celery, chayote squash, white beans, cabbage, green banana, yellow plantain, llautias, potatoes, pumpkin, corn, and green bell pepper.
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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.
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Cook’s Note
Many of the vegetables called for can be found in international markets. Several have alternative names. Llautia may be yautia or malanga. Chayote is a type of squash. Ñame is a popular Puerto Rican root vegetable and can be used in place of one of the potatoes.
Some cooks now add ginger root, chile pepper, cumin, and other ingredients, but I believe it destroys the original rich natural vegetable taste.