Recipe: Sancocho de Siete Carnes (Dominican Republic recipe)

I love this Sancocho recipe. It is the perfect dish for entertaining guests. Even though it has a lot of ingredients it is a 1 pot enterprise.

Sancocho de Siete Carnes
by Aunt Clara's Dominican Cooking

Sancocho is, without doubt, Dominican's most cherished culinary treasure. It is a dish that is usually prepared for special occasions. Its preparation is long and it contains many ingredients. However, the time it takes to prepare is the time best enjoyed with friends, while drinking a little rum or a cold beer. The traditional one is made of beef, however the Sancocho de Siete Carnes (7-meat Stew) is the deluxe version. You can skip the other meats if you want.
Yield: 6 servings

1 lb of goat meat (chivo/kid)
1 lb. pork sausage
1 lb pork
2 lbs beef with bones
11/2 lb chicken
2 lbs of pork ribs
1 lb of bones from a smoked ham
4 lemons cut in halves
1 tablespoon of mashed garlic
4 tablespoons of oil
2 large green bell peppers chopped into cubes
1/2 lb of cassava cut into 1-inch thick pieces
2 large onions
1/2 lb of yam cut into 1-inch thick pieces
2 tablespoons of celery
1/2 lb of malanga cut into 1-inch thick pieces
1/2 lb of potatoes cut into 1-inch thick pieces
3 unripe plantains, 2 cut into 1-inch thick pieces
2 cubes of beef stock
1/2 cup of capers
2 corn cobs cut into 2-inches long pieces (may be omitted)
1/2 teaspoon of powdered oregano
1/2 teaspoon of thyme
1/2 teaspoon of coriander/cilantro
2 teaspoons of vinegar
2 teaspoons of Tabasco sauce

Before Starting to Cook:
Wash the meat (except the pork sausages) with warm water and scrub with the cut lemon. Cut the meat in small pieces.

Method:
Place the beef in a pan and add the herbs, garlic, vinegar, capers, spices and salt. Stir to distribute evenly. In an iron pot heat the oil, add the beef and stir (be careful with hot oil splattering). Cover and wait one minute, then stir again. Add a few spoons of water if mixture sticks to the pot. Continue this process for 20 minutes. Add the pork and let simmer for 15 minutes, adjust water when necessary. Add the rest of the meat to the mix, add the chicken stock and let simmer for another 10 minutes.

Add 1/4 gallon of water and bring to a boil. Add the yam, malanga and the two plantains that you had previously cut. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Grate the remaining plantain and add to the pot. Add all remaining ingredients and adjust water when necessary. Stir regularly to avoid excessive sticking. Let simmer until the last ingredients you added are tender. Take two cups of the roots our of the pot, mash them in a separate bowl and add back to the stew. Let simmer until the stew is thick.

Adjust salt to taste.

Serve while hot with a few slices of avocados and white rice.