One from back in the day: Sancocho

Alright, I'm starting to get the hang of this blogging thing... maybe too much so because this is my third AND LAST, post of the day. I felt like dropping another recipe, and there is something I made last summer that I think I am going to make again very soon. It's Sancoho. This is a Colombian chicken stew that you can slow cook on the stove or in a slow cooker (but prefer the heat control of the stove for something like this) - I think you're going to start to see a trend in a lot of my cooking methods, haha - taking something cheap - give it the low and slow treatment - and badda bing some of the best food you've ever had.... But back to the Sancocho. I think I first got the idea to make this when I saw Tony Bourdain eat it in the Colobmia episode of No Reservations. I saw it and immediately said to myself "I want to eat that." So I looked at pretty much every recipe I could find on the web, and then made my own from what I thought sounded good, and came up with this! Pictures Below.

Meat: Chicken pieces on the bone, oxtails, and short ribs



Veg: Plantain, as many types of potatoes as I can find, yuca/cassava if you can find it (I couldn't, but I'll try harder next time), corn on the cob, onion, garlic, green onion, soffrito (tomato, onion, and green pepper), and red pepper.



Herb/Spice - Garlic, cilantro, oregano, olive oil, turmeric, cumin, salt, and black pepper.

Garnishes/Fixins - cilantro, green onion, and black pepper.

1. In a medium skillet, cook up the soffrito in olive oil with some garlic, cilantro, cumin, turmeric, oregano, and the red pepper until its all soft.


2. In a large stock pot, brown off all the meat

3. Then, put all the red meat (not the chicken), the cooked mixture of veg, and some more cilantro into the pot and cover with a mixture of cold water and chicken broth (or just one or the other if you want).

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer until the meat is tender (about 2.5 hours), adding the chicken about an hour in (giving it about an hour to an hour and a half to get all fall off the bone good.



5. With the chicken, add the plantain (sliced)

6. With about 40 minutes left, add the potatoes (cut into pieces) and the corn (cobs cub in half)



7. Salt and pepper to taste



8. When its done, serve garnished with green onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.



This is a great meal for cold or warm weather. In the winter, it will warm you up, and in the summer it just cries for some mojitos, caparinias, or a good South American/Caribbean beer. The only thing I'd do differently, is that I will toss some avocado in at the end next time.

Try it, and I don't think you'll be disappointed!