Puerto Rican Sancocho Recipes

INSTANT POT PUERTO RICAN SANCOCHO

Steps:

• Season the beef with oregano, garlic powder, salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper and the juice of two limes.
• Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the Instant Pot and press the saute option on "more" for about 20 minutes.
• Once the oil has warmed add in enough beef to almost cover the bottom, and leave the rest to cook in batches.
• Cook for 2-3 minutes or until sides have browned. (Adjust heat if needed.)
• Remove beef once browned.
• Add an extra 3 minutes if needed, and add in a teaspoon of oil. Once warmed, add in sofrito, seasonings, tomato sauce, and herbs.
• Cook for a minute, stirring often.
• Add in your vegetables and your beef, gently toss it together so everything is mixed in together. Add in your beef broth and any remaining ingredients.
• Set your Instant Pot on manual high pressure, set your timer for 30 minutes. Close the lid and set the valve to seal.
• Once the timer is up, press the Cancel button, allow it to release naturally or wait at least 10 minutes before doing a quick release.
• Once your pin drops, open the lid and stir the sancocho.
• To thicken your sancocho, press the saute option for 15 minutes, and allow the soup to cook down and evaporate some of the excess liquid (check on it often).

SANCOCHO

Steps:

• Peel and cut the yuca, yautia, green plantain and yellow plantain into 1-inch pieces. Scrape out the seeds, then chop the calabaza, skin on, into 1-inch pieces. Put each ingredient in a separate bowl, adding water to cover vegetables in order to prevent them from turning brown while you prepare the rest of the soup.
• Husk the corn, then slice it into 2-inch-thick segments. Set aside.
• Season pork (or beef) and chicken with 1/2 tablespoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add the pork and brown on all sides for 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a clean, large bowl, then add the chicken to the same pot, and brown on both sides for another 5 minutes, adding oil as needed if the pot gets dry. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the same bowl as the pork.
• Reduce heat to medium and add sofrito to the pot, scraping up any browned bits of meat and incorporating them into the mix. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until liquid has evaporated and mixture darkens in color.
• Return the pork, chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot. Add the stock, bay leaves and remaining 1 tablespoon salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• To keep the vegetables from falling apart, add each one in order of firmness, cooking each for 5 minutes before adding the next. Begin with the yuca, then yautia, green plantain, yellow plantain, calabaza and corn, cooking the yuca for a total of 30 minutes and the corn for only 5 minutes.
• Add chorizo and stir well to incorporate. Cook for another 10 to 15 minutes over medium-low heat until meat and vegetables are tender and break easily with a fork. Because of all the starches and meat in this dish, this stew tends to be thick and rich. Some of the vegetables will fall apart, giving it a porridge consistency. This is a good thing.
• Adjust salt to taste, and serve with fresh bread or white rice on the side.

PUERTO RICAN BEEF SANCOCHO

Steps:

• In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Heat the olive oil, then add the bay leaves, onion, green pepper, sofrito, sazon, salt, cumin powder, oregano and pepper.
• Stir and cook until the sofrito becomes fragrant and the onion becomes translucent.
• Add the beef and brown it on all sides. Then add in the garlic, stir and cook until it becomes fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add in the carrots, plantains, corn, sweet potato (if substituting for pumpkin), yucca, yautia and tomato sauce and stir to combine.
• Pour enough beef broth in to cover the vegetables by a half inch and stir. Bring it to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to low-medium and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
• Then add in the pumpkin (if using), potatoes and squash and let the soup simmer covered for 25-30 more minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
• Add salt to taste, then serve with fresh cilantro and lime wedges as desired!

PUERTO RICAN SANCOCHO

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat; add onion, garlic, cilantro, white pepper, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is browned and very tender, about 20 minutes. Add stew meat; cook and stir until meat is browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Pour enough water over meat mixture to fill pot 3/4 full; add tomato sauce and beef bouillon.
• Mix green beans, carrots, celery, chayote squash, white beans, cabbage, green banana, yellow plantain, llautias, potatoes, pumpkin, corn, and green bell pepper (in this order), cooking and stirring after each addition. Cook until all the vegetables are tender and stew has formed a rich broth, 2 to 3 hours. Add more water or salt if needed.

SANCOCHO

Steps:

• To make the recaito, process the onion, bell pepper, frying pepper, garlic and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a blender until it resembles a very chunky sauce. Add the cilantro and blend until the sauce is combined and has a slightly chunky consistency, about 30 seconds. Set aside 1/2 cup of the recaito you've just made and freeze the rest for future preparations.
• Add the remaining olive oil to a very large, heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Dry the oxtails and add salt and pepper. Brown the oxtails in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside on a plate or platter.
• Remove excess fat from the pot you browned the oxtails in, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pot. Add the reserved 1/2 cup recaito and saute until fragrant. Add the adobo, oregano and bay leaves, then stir in the tomato sauce and saute for 1 minute. Add the red wine and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper to taste, remembering that as the broth reduces it will become saltier; don't go overboard. Add the oxtails back to the pot. Lower the heat and cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly cracked. Simmer until the meat is beginning to become tender and fall apart, about 2 hours.
• Skim the fat off the top of the stew. Add the potatoes, yucca, plantains, pumpkin and corn. Top with more chicken stock, if necessary, to cover all the vegetables. Put the lid back on and simmer until the root vegetables are tender, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Taste the broth, season with salt and pepper and garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve with a side of rice if desired.