Sancocho Dominicano

Sancocho Dominicano

The Dominican national dish is ideal for chilly nights. This recipe is courtesy of Villa Pajon, a rustic lodge nestled in the mountains of the Valle Nuevo. Ingredients (serves 8 people):

1 chicken (with bones), cut into pieces

8 pork chops

2 limes, juiced

4 cloves of garlic, mashed

1 large onion, chopped

1 Habañero pepper, chopped

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon bitter orange juice (fresh or Goya)

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon oregano

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 green plantain, peeled and cut into 1" pieces

1 lb. yucca, peeled and cut into 2" pieces

1 lb. pumpkin (auyama), peeled and cut into 2" pieces (butternut squash works, too)

1 corn on the cob, cut in half

8 to 12 cups water

Season the chicken pieces and pork chops with lime juice, garlic, onion, salt, cilantro, pepper, and oregano. Then sauté the meat and chicken in a large pot with the cooking oil for approximately 20 minutes. Add the water and cook until meat is almost done. Adjust the cooking time if necessary so you do not overcook the meat. Remove the meat from the cooking liquid, and strain the liquid, returning it to the pot. On high heat, bring the liquid to a boil, and add the plantain pieces, immediately reducing the heat to medium-high. Cook for five minutes, then add the yucca and pumpkin and cook for 10 minutes more. Finally, add the corn. When the vegetables are almost done, add the chicken and pork chops, vinegar, and bitter orange juice. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary, and cook for 20 more minutes on high.

Serve with white rice, concon*, avocado slices, and hot pepper sauce** if you like. *Concon: After the rice is done, remove most of it, leaving a little at the bottom of the pot. Turn the stove on medium-high and let the bottom of the rice turn golden and crispy, but be sure it does not burn. **Hot pepper sauce: Fill a small jar with one or more kinds of hot peppers. Add enough apple cider vinegar to cover all the peppers. Screw on the top and let it stand for a couple of days. The resulting vinegar will be hot, and you can use this to spice up the sancocho. The longer it stands, the hotter it gets! The jar can be refilled.