True Dominican Sancocho (Latin 7-Meat Stew)

My fiance is from the D.R. and his mother has made me some amazing food! The first time she made sancocho I fell in love with it. It is often made with 7 different meats for a special festivity or holiday. I have simplified the meats in my version, but don't be afraid to use many kinds; this is my mimicked recipe. Great by itself or served the traditional way over rice. Super filling and even better the next day.

• Preparation Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 3 hr
• Total Time: 4 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 497 Calories

Ingredients

• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef consomme
• ¼ cup dried oregano
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 (13.75 ounce) can chicken broth
• 2 green plantains, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 2 large lemon, juiced
• 5 chicken drumsticks, or more to taste
• 1 pound bone-in beef chuck
• 1 pound bone-in pork loin roast
• 2 large onion, quartered, divided
• 10 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 ¼ gallons water, or more as needed
• 4 cubes beef bouillon cubes, divided
• 1 ½ pounds Spanish pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 pound eddeos, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• ½ pound yuca (cassava) roots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• ½ pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 2 ears corn on the cob, cut into quarters
• 2 large carrots, chopped, or more to taste
• 1 dash adobo seasoning (Optional)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Mash garlic, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt together in a bowl.

Step 2

Douse chicken, beef, and pork with lemon juice in a large bowl. Drain half the liquid. Mix the mashed garlic, half of the onions, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and vinegar into the meat mixture.

Step 3

Heat the remaining 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat mixture in batches and cook until browned on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 4

Transfer the browned meats into a large pot. Add half of the water, chicken broth, beef consomme, 2 bouillon cubes, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until meats are more than halfway cooked through, about 40 minutes.

Step 5

Combine pumpkin, sweet potatoes, eddeos, yuca, potatoes, plantains, corn, celery, carrots, green pepper, cilantro, and adobo seasoning in the simmering pot. Return soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low and continue simmering until the sancocho is thick and the root vegetables are soft, 1 to 2 hours. Stir in the remaining half of the water by gradual increments to replace any evaporated liquid.