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Olla de carne
Costa Rica's beef and vegetable pot with yuca, plantain and corn
Olla de carne, "pot of meat", is the Costa Rican Sunday soup, cooked slowly in the Central Valley around San José and in country homes: beef shin and short ribs simmered for hours in a clear broth with big pieces of yuca, chayote, green plantain, corn, carrot and taro. The broth is served first, then the meat and vegetables, with rice on the side. The mistake is putting all the vegetables in together; add the hard ones first and the soft chayote and corn last. Chef's tip: use a little bone with the beef; it gives the broth body without any stock cube.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put 2 ⅝ lb beef shin and short ribs, 12 ½ cups water, 1 onion, 4 garlic cloves, 1 red pepper, the stalks of ¼ oz coriander and 2 ½ tsp salt in a large pot. Bring to the boil, skim well, then simmer partly covered for 1 hour 45 minutes, until the beef is tender.
105 minStep 2: Add 14 oz yuca (cassava), 10 ½ oz taro (tiquisque), 2 green plantains and 2 carrots and simmer for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 3: Add 2 chayotes and 2 corn cobs and cook for 15 minutes more, until all the vegetables are tender. Yuca must be completely soft, and the beef will be well past the safe 160°F.
15 minStep 4: Taste and add salt. Chop the rest of ¼ oz coriander and scatter over. Serve the broth first, then the meat and vegetables, with rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does olla de carne take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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