Recipe(tried): Sancocho

Hi Edie. This recipe, which I love to make during the cold days of winter, is from a wonderful cookbook called A Taste of Puerto Rico by Yvonne Ortiz. It's a winner, but it makes a huge amount and I usually freeze some of the leftovers. If you don't want to make a ton of food, cut the recipe in 1/2/

SANCOCHO
2 lbs. short ribs of beef
1/4 lb. smoked ham, diced
4 qts. chicken stock
1/2 cup Recaito, recipe below (you can make your own or buy
Goya's jarred version)
1 cup tomato sauce (I like Hunt's, it's very basic and doesn't
contain added sugar)
1 lb. each calabaza - west Indian pumpkin (you can sub. acorn squash), yautia (taro root), apio, name (yam) and yuca (cassava) peeled and diced into 1"
cubes
A NOTE: You MUST use the yautia, it's a thickening agent. Not
using it would be like making Gumbo without the Okra!
2 med. green plaintains, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
3 ears fresh corn, cut into 1" pieces
1 table spoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper

In a big soup pot, combine the 1st 6 ingredients including all the
root vegetables. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium
and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the remaining ingred. and bring
back to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes or
until all the vegetables are tender.

RECAITO
Yield: 1/2 cup
1/2 med. onion, diced
1 Italian frying pepper, seeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled
3 sweet chili peppers, seeded
3 sprigs cilantro

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor.