Recipe(tried): Sancocho Criollo

I could not resist the opportunity to share one of the best stews-soups that proclaim how excellent is our Puerto Rican food!

SANCOCHO CRIOLLO (repost of one of my recipes)

1/2 cup olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon Spanish paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon cumin
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 pound chicken, skinned and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound pork loin, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound flank steak, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 bay leaf
1 medium yellow malanga-Yaut a (taro root)
2 medium white malanga-Yautia
2 medium batatas-sweet potatoes
2 medium yuca-cassava
2 yams ( ame)
1/2 medium calabaza-pumpkin
2 ears of corn, husked
2 green plantains
2 semi-ripe (yellow) plantains
Juice of three limes

Put the meats in a large, heavy pot and add about six quarts of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered for one hour.

Meanwhile: Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the onions and green pepper until the onions are translucent.

Add the garlic, cumin, pepper and tomatoes and cook for about five minutes.

Add this to the meat and the broth and continue simmering, covered. (OPTION: add one cup whole milk to the broth.) Peel the malanga (yaut a), boniato, yuca, ame and calabaza, cut into cubes and add to the pot. Cut the corn and plantains into 1 1/2-inch chunks. Sprinkle the plantain pieces with lime juice. Add to the simmering stew.

After about 15 minutes, add the semi ripe plantains (everything should be now in the pot. Continue cooking for 20 minutes or until everything is done.

Serve hot. In Puerto Rico, we put some white rice cooked, in the bottom of the individual dishes, then we add the very hot sancocho. It is a dream and a very healthy dish.