Sancocho is a soup made using many ingredients which includes, meat, vegetables, herbs, seasonings and root vegetables. It is eaten regularly in many Latin American and Spanish Caribbean countries including the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, El Salvador and Trinidad.
Some common meats used in its preparation include beef, pork, chicken and off-cuts such as animal feet and stomach. Seafood is also used and multiple types of meats can be used in one soup. The soup almost always includes ears of corn and root vegetables like yams and potatoes. Sancocho is usually eaten as the main meal.
With its popularity across many countries comes many sancocho variations. Puerto Ricans make sancocho with chicken, ham or pork and sometimes serve it with rice. In the Dominican Republic sancocho often contains beans and there is even a sancocho specialty called Sancocho de Siete, which is made with 7 types of meat, while Colombia has a Sancocho Trifasico which is made with three types of meat.
Some Venezuelan and El Salvadoran regions make sancocho with beef stomach. In Venezuala and Panama, the coast line regions use fish and other seafood. While the island of Trinidad has just a tiny Spanish population, Sancocho is also popular there where it is called sancoche. It is made using coconut milk and hot peppers.
Origin & Cultural Significance
It’s believed that Sancocho came from the Canary Islands where it is made only with seafood and eaten at easter when fasting from meat is practiced. From there, due to colonization sancocho made its way to Latin America where each country added their own foods and flavors.
Sancocho Recipe
Sancocho is a soup made using many ingredients which includes, meat, vegetables, herbs, seasonings and root vegetables.
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs (skinless and cut into bite-size chunks) - 1 lb
- Beef stew meat (cut into chunks) - 1 pound
- Andouille sausage (cut into thick slices) - ½ lb
- Salt - to taste
- Sazon (without achiote) - 1 packet
- Oil - 2 tbsp
- Sofrito - 2 tbsp
- Garlic (minced) - 1 tbsp
- Onion (chopped) - 1 whole
- Cumin - 1 tsp
- Oregano - 1 tsp
- Paprika - 1 tsp
- Water or broth - 6 cups
- Green plantain (peeled and cut into chunks) - 1
- Corn (cut into 2 inch chunks) - 1 ear
- Potato (peeled and chopped into 2-inch pieces) - 1
- Pumpkin (peeled and chopped) - 1 cup
- Yuca (peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks) -2 cups
Instructions
- Salt the meat on both sides. Let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.
- Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add oil to the pot.
- Brown the beef, then the chicken.
- Cook together for about 6 minutes.
- Add the sausage and cook for another two minutes.
- Remove the meats and set aside.
- In the same pot add the sofrito, garlic, cumin, paprika, oregano, and sazon.
- Sauté until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the onions, and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Pour in the water or broth.
- Return the meat to the pot and bring it to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Add the root vegetables, starting with the one that needs the most time to cook – in this case, green plantains.
- Cook for about 10 minutes before adding the yuca, squash, potatoes, and corn.
- Continue simmering the stew for about 10 minutes until the meat and veggies begin to soften.
- Season with salt, pepper, and other seasonings to taste.
- Continue cooking until root vegetables are tender. The stew should be thick and hearty; if not, mash a few root vegetables to thicken it.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 705Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 196mgSodium: 716mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 4gSugar: 10gProtein: 51g
Nutrition is provided and calculated by Nutritionix. It is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimation.