AJIACO
CRIOLLO-CUBAN CREOLE STEW
For the Broth:
1/2 pound Tasajo (jerked beef), cut into 2-inch chunks
1 pound pork meat, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 pound beef brisket, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 bay leaf
For the Sofrito:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup crushed tomatoes (canned are fine)
To Complete the Stew:
1/2 pound (1 medium) yellow malanga
1 pound (2 medium) white malanga
1 pound (2 medium) boniato (sweet potato)
1/2 pound (1/2 medium) name
1 pound (2 medium) yucca
1 pound (1/2 medium) calabaza (butternut squash)
2 ears of corn, husked
2 green plantains
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 semi-ripe (yellow) plantains
1 ripe (almost black) plantain
Make the broth: Cover the
tasajo with cold water and soak it for at least 8 hours. (There is no
need to refrigerate it.) Change the water and continue soaking for
another hour. Drain again and rinse under cold running water. Put the
tasajo in a large, heavy pot and add about 6 quarts of water. Bring to
a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 1 hour. Add the pork,
beef brisket, and bay leaf, and let the three meats cook together
until tender. Remove the pot from the heat and skim as much fat as
possible from the broth. (If you have time, the best way is to
refrigerate the broth overnight until the fat solidifies and then
remove it.)
Make the Sofrito: Heat the
oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute the onions and green
pepper until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the
garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add the pepper, cumin, and tomatoes
and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the sofrito to the
broth and simmer, covered, while you prepare the vegetables.
Complete the Dish: Peel
the malanga, boniato, name, yucca, and calabaza and cube them. Cut the
corn and green plaintains into 1 1/2-inch pieces. With a knife, split
the skin of each piece of green plantain and open it away from the
center as if you were taking off a coat. Sprinkle the plantain pieces
with the lime juice. Slit the semi-ripe and ripe plantains lengthwise
and slice them crosswise into 1 1/2-inch rounds. Do not remove their
skins or they will disintegrate in the stew. Add the green plantains
to the simmering stew. After about 15 minutes, add the semiripe
plantains. After another 15 minutes, add the ripe plantains and let
them simmer for about 10 minutes.
Serve hot in soup plates
or, cocido-style, with the meats, vegetables, and broth in separate
dishes. (Each diner removes the skin from the semi-ripe and ripe
plantains themselves.)
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