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Puchero santafereño
Puchero santafereño: Bogotá's boiled dinner of chicken, beef and pork with plantain, cassava, corn and hogao
Old Santa Fe de Bogotá kept puchero for big family lunches and holidays: a broad pot of beef, pork and chicken boiled with cassava, corn, potatoes, cabbage and, unusually, ripe plantain cooked in its skin, which turns soft and sweet against the savoury meat. It comes to the table in two acts. First the clear, golden broth in cups or small bowls; then a platter of the meats and vegetables, with a pan of warm hogao (tomato and spring onion sauce) spooned over everything, plus rice and avocado on the side. People confuse it with cocido or sancocho, but the plantain and the hogao make it its own thing. Most disappointing pucheros come from boiling hard: the broth goes cloudy and the cassava breaks up, so keep it at a lazy simmer. Chef's tip: add the vegetables in order of how long they take, and lift each batch out onto a warm tray as it becomes tender, so nothing turns to mush while the beef finishes.
- Total time
- 165 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the meats
For the vegetables
For the hogao
To serve
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Put 1 ¾ lb beef shin or chuck, 16 ¾ cups water, 1 white onion, 4 garlic cloves and 1 tbsp salt in a very large pot. Bring to the boil over a high heat and skim off the foam until the surface is clear.
15 minStep 2: Lower the heat so the water barely trembles and simmer, half-covered, for 45 minutes.
45 minStep 3: Add 1 ⅛ lb pork ribs and simmer for 20 minutes more.
20 minStep 4: Add 1 ⅓ lb cassava (yuca) and 3 corn on the cob and simmer for 20 minutes, until the cassava is tender at the edges but still holds together. Lift them onto a warm tray and cover with foil.
20 minStep 5: Add 2 ¼ lb chicken pieces, 1 ⅓ lb potatoes and 2 ripe plantains in their skins. Simmer for 25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the plantain skins have split and darkened.
25 minStep 6: Lay 0.3 head white cabbage wedges on top for the last 8 minutes, until just tender. Check the meats: the chicken must reach 165°F at the bone, the pork 160°F, and the beef should be tender enough to pull apart with a fork.
8 minStep 7: While the pot simmers, make the hogao: heat 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and soften 6 spring onions for 5 minutes. Add 4 ripe tomatoes, ½ tsp ground cumin and ½ tsp salt and cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring, until the sauce is thick and glossy and the oil starts to separate.
20 minStep 8: Lift everything out of the pot onto a large platter with the cassava and corn, peeling the plantains. Strain the broth, taste for salt and serve it in cups first, scattered with ½ oz fresh coriander.
Step 9: Bring the platter to the table with the warm hogao to spoon over, and 2 avocados on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 640 kcal
- Protein
- 50 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does puchero santafereño take?
- About 165 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 135 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 white 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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