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Puchero
Puchero: boiled beef with chickpeas, corn, squash, potato and cabbage, the broth served first
Winter Sundays in the towns of Buenos Aires Province mean a big pot of puchero bubbling from mid-morning: beef shin and brisket on the bone, a marrow bone, chickpeas, corn on the cob, squash, sweet potato, potato, carrots and cabbage, all simmered together. The meal comes in two courses, as in the Spanish cocido it descends from: first the golden broth, often with fine noodles or rice, then a platter of meat and vegetables doused with olive oil, salt and a spoon of salsa criolla. It is gentle and clean-tasting rather than rich. Many families add chorizo colorado or pancetta (pork); this version keeps to beef. Plan for the chickpeas to soak overnight. Boiling it hard is the classic mistake, which clouds the broth and toughens the meat; it should barely shiver. Chef's tip: add the vegetables in stages, longest-cooking first, so the cabbage and squash hold their shape instead of dissolving.
- Total time
- 190 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the meat
For the vegetables
To serve
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 2 ¼ lb beef shin on the bone, 1 ⅓ lb beef brisket and 1 beef marrow bone in a very large pot with 5 litres of cold water and bring slowly to the boil over a medium heat. Skim off the grey foam as it rises.
20 minStep 2: Add the drained 7 oz dried chickpeas, 1 onion, 2 bay leaves and 2 tsp salt. Turn the heat right down and simmer, barely bubbling and partly covered, for 1½ hours, until the chickpeas are almost tender.
90 minStep 3: Add 3 carrots, 1 leek, 4 potatoes and 2 sweet potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 4: Add 3 corn on the cob, 1 ⅓ lb squash and ½ white cabbage and simmer for 20–25 minutes more, until everything is tender and the beef pulls apart easily with a fork.
25 minStep 5: Ladle out the broth and serve it first in cups or bowls, with 3 ½ oz long-grain rice if you like.
Step 6: Lift the meat and vegetables onto a large warm platter, drizzle with 4 tbsp olive oil and serve as the main course.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 640 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fibre
- 11 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does puchero take?
- About 190 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 165 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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 dried chickpeas?
- Cannellini or butter beans, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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