Colombian Puchero Soup Recipes

COLOMBIAN PUCHERO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in an 8 inch skillet over medium heat. Add sliced scallions, tomatoes, 1/4 tsp salt, pepper, cumin, saffron, and 2 cloves garlic.
• Cook, stirring often, until soft (5 minutes). Add 2 tbsp cilantro, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally (20 minutes). Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
• Place remaining salt and garlic, whole scallions and cilantro sprigs, spareribs, brisket, and chicken in a 12 qt pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until chicken is cooked through (1 hour and 15 minutes).
• Remove chicken and cut into 10 serving pieces. Discard skin and carcass. Place chicken on a plate, cover, and set aside.
• Add cassava and potatoes to pot and cook for 10 minutes. Add cabbage, cover loosely, and cook until vegetables are tender (20-25 minutes).
• Add chicken back to pot, stir in reserved scallion-tomato sauce mixture and season with salt and pepper. Return to just under a rolling boil (5 minutes).
• Ladle stew into large serving bowls and sprinkle with remaining minced cilantro. Serve with avocado and rice on the side.
• NOTE: To break down cassava for cooking, begin by cutting off the tapered ends to reveal where the cordon begins, then divide the root into manageable lengths, approximately the size of a large russet potato.
• Stand the segments up on their flat ends and, using a large chef's knife, cut away the peel of the cassava in strips, rotating the cylinder as you go until it's completely peeled.
• Halve the cassava cylinder lengthwise to expose the core. Continue cutting the cassava lengthwise into wedges, making sure to cut through the core.
• Using your knife, slice off the inner corner of each wedge to remove the woody flesh and discard. Now that the cordon is removed, it's safe to cook the cassava like any other vegetable, whether you choose to boil, saute, fry, or roast it.

CALDO DE COSTILLA (COLOMBIAN BEEF RIB SOUP)

Steps:

• Reserve a small handful of cilantro and 5 scallions. To a large stockpot or Dutch oven, add the split onion, the garlic cloves, the cumin seeds and the beef. Cover with water by 2 inches (3 to 4 quarts total).
• Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to maintain a very bare simmer. Using a ladle, skim off and discard any solid scum that has collected on the surface. Roughly chop the remaining cilantro and scallions, and add them to the pot. Cover and cook until the beef is tender and a skewer or knife shows no resistance when poked through the meat, 2½ to 3 hours.
• Using tongs or a skimmer, remove the meat with the bones to a large plate and set aside.
• Set a fine mesh strainer in a large bowl and strain the broth. Discard the solids. Scrub out the pot, then return the broth to it and season to taste with salt. (It should taste quite salty.) Proceed immediately to the next step, or return the beef to the broth and refrigerate in sealed containers for up to a week before continuing (or adapting into one of the alternate serving methods, see Note).
• Peel the potatoes, halve or quarter them lengthwise, then cut crosswise into ⅓- to ½-inch-thick slices and add them to the broth. Simmer the potato slices in the broth until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Return the beef to the broth.
• Roughly chop the reserved cilantro and scallions, and add to the broth. Serve immediately.

POCHERO

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; fry the plantains and potatoes in the hot oil until crisp on the outside, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside, keeping the oil in the pot.
• Cook and stir the onion and garlic in the hot oil until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken and chorizo; season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes.
• Pour enough water over the chicken to cover completely; bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cover, and cook another 10 minutes. Stir the plantains, potatoes, garbanzo beans, and cabbage into the mixture. Cook covered until the cabbage is wilted and everything is hot, about 5 minutes more. Serve hot.