“Good soup is one of the prime ingredients of good living. For soup can do more to lift the spirits and stimulate the appetite than any other one dish.” — Louis P. De Gouy, ‘The Soup Book’ (1949)
My fondest memories of growing up in the Dominican Republic are those rainy, gray days when my mother would wake up early and cook her ever-so-famous sancocho recipe. A recipe that would simmer all day, sancocho is a traditional Dominican stew made from a variety of meats, typically including pork sausage as well as chops, chicken, and beef. Stewed for a few hours and thickened with butternut squash and carrot purée, it’s a hearty and comforting dish that brings me back home, and one I cook at home in Edgartown during the winter.
It’s such a hot and heavy meal that it’d be unthinkable to make during a normal Caribbean day. Unless it’s New Year’s Eve — Dominicans have this sancocho as the sun rises on the first day of the new year. Is it a lucky tradition? Not really. It’s more to cure that intense hangover they’ve accumulated after so many celebratory drinks.
This Dominican stew will cure all evils: heartbreak, betrayal, confusion, sadness, and winter blues. A good sancocho will point you to a happier place, a place where avocados are sancocho’s best friend, a place where you’ll feel all warm and cozy, a place where you’ll wish you had a Dominican mother to make this for you. Nothing in this world goes better with sancocho than fresh slices of avocado sprinkled with salt.
But today, you won’t need a Dominican mother to make you this dish, because, ladies and gentlemen, this is MY mother’s recipe. It’s amazing. I can’t assure you that it will come out just like Mami’s recipe, but I’m sure that you will also fall in love with this stew, just like I have. And fear not, most of the ingredients can be found at the local grocery store.
Dominican Sancocho (Meat and Vegetable Stew)
Prep time: 15 mins.
Cook time: 60 mins.
Total time: 1 hour, 15 mins.
(Serves: 6)
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
2 smoked pork chops, boneless and chopped
2 fresh pork chops, boneless and chopped
½ pound longaniza (Dominican sausage)
½ tablespoon dried oregano
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. Adobo seasoning
1 jar tomato sauce
2 green plantains, peeled and cut into 1-in. pieces
1 pound yucca, peeled and cut into 1-in. pieces
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-in. pieces
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1-in. pieces
handful fresh cilantro, chopped
10 cups water
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lime, juiced
Season the chicken, pork chops, and sausage with oregano, salt, and Adobo.
In a large stock pot over medium heat, sear chicken on all sides; add chopped pork chops and sausage and cook halfway through. Add tomato sauce, and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients, except lime juice and olive oil.
Cook until squash is tender, and then remove squash and carrot pieces. Blend with some of the same liquid and add that purée back into the pot. Stir. Simmer for 15 more minutes, and finish seasoning with lime juice and olive oil. Serve with white rice and avocado slices.
Notes: You can substitute Italian sausage, or any pork-based sausage, for Dominican longaniza. If you can find culantro, a dear cousin of the cilantro but with thicker leaves, definitely throw some in.
Find more recipes by Marnely Murray here.