One word can unite an entire culture. Yet, the same word will divide friends, in a healthy competitive way, of course. Sancocho. Say it. Nothing? Ok, go say it to one of your friends or neighbors from the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Ecuador, Panama, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, or Venezuela. All of these countries have their own version of Sancocho…hell, even a single country will have standard variations of the same dish…then households on the same street will have their own version…and everyone’s is “the best.” And, they’re probably not wrong. You can’t ever go wrong with a soulful, slow-cooked meal. Better yet, the magic of this dish, and why everyone’s can be the best, is its simplicity: chicken (if you want to be super, historically specific, use beef), vegetables, herbs, water, and time. That’s it. You can do it. Get to a global food store to get your yams and culantro (cilantro's edgier, more-interesting cousin) and get cooking!
Panamanian Sancocho
1 chicken cut into 8 pieces
Onion, diced
12 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 sprigs of oregano
2 yams (not your normal grocery variety, see photo above)
6 culantro leaves (not cilantro, see photo above)
1 cup of rice
Heat some oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken liberally with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Place the chicken into the pot, skin-side down, and deeply brown the skin, about 6-8 minutes. Flip and continue to brown on the other side for about 4 minutes.
Remove the chicken to a platter and add in the onion and garlic, with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring continuously, for a few minutes.
Add in 16 cups of hot water, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken back to the pot, along with the oregano, and season heavily with salt. Return to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
While the chicken cooks, slice away the thick peel and dice the yams, into rough ½-inch cubes.
After 30 minutes, remove the chicken to a cutting board, along with the empty oregano stems. Stir in the diced yams.
Remove the skin from the chicken and discard with the oregano stems. Separate the meat from the bones and discard the bones. Break the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add back to the pot.
Continue to simmer until the yams are beginning to soften. Then, add in the culantro and continue to simmer for 30 minutes, adding water, if necessary. After 15 minutes, add in the rice and continue to cook, until the rice is tender. While you cook the rice, place the lid on the pot, slightly cracked and stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Once the rice is cooked, taste the soup and adjust for any seasoning needs. Serve.
______________________________ Copyright 2022, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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