Pressure Cooker Sancocho - cut your time in HALF!

 

This dish normally takes about 3 to 3.5 hours to cook with no pressure cooker. If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can still follow this recipe.  With a pressure cooker, it takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to cook (including prep).  Prepping doesn't take long.  Most of the time is utilized during the simmering time.  

Serves about 10-12

1pound of chicken
1 pound of baby back ribs
1 pound of steak
2 green plantains
3 corn stalks
3 potatoes
1 cup of carrots
1 yautia blanca
about 10 strands of cilantro

sofrito (for seasoning - about 3 large spoons)
adobo (for seasoning)
garlic cloves (about 8)

• Wash and cut meat into cubes (aside the baby back ribs) 
• Season your meat (adobo, 1 large spoon of sofrito, Goya sazón total, Adobo, garlic cloves)
• Add to pressure cooker with enough water to cover the rim of the meat (shown in second image) and cook on high pressure, locked for 29 minutes.  
• If you don't have a pressure cooker - cook meat on High for about 20-30 minutes (or until you see meat is cooked) then bring down to medium high when your ready to add the rest of the ingredients to the caldero (pot).  You can keep adding water as it evaporates.  (see image 8)

 Image 1

 

• Add enough water that the meat is submerged

Image 3

 

• Close and lock pressure cooker and set for 28-29 minutes (depending on your pressure cooker)

Image 4

• While the meat is on pressure (or cooking in caldero - pot), start chopping all veggies and set aside in caldero (Stew pot) 

Image 5

 

Image 6

 

• Once meat is cooked, transfer to caldero with veggies with all juices (if your not using a pressure cooker - meat should look similar to the image 8 below when your cooking)

Image 7

 

• If not using a pressure cooker (your meat should look like the image below)

Image 8

 

• Add water to fill up to 1/2 inch from the rim of the pot; add the rest of the sofrito, cilantro, adobo, chicken bouillon 

Image 9

 

• Set on high and boil for about 15-20 min; then set back down to medium heat and simmer for about 45 min to an hour (until you see meat tearing and veggies are soft and ready).

Image 10

Serve with a small bowl of rice on the side.

Caldo Gallego (Gallcian Soup)

What you need: 
9 cups of water
1/2 bag of dried white navy beans (or one can)
2 spanish chorizos sliced
1/2 a red onion (chopped into small pieces)
4 garlic cloves (smashed and minced)
2 yellow skin potatoes
1 teaspoon of adobo (or less or more to your liking)
3/4 to 1 cup of collard greens

Soak your dried bean in water 3-4 hours

Rinse your Greens, remove stems where possible, roll the leaves and slice; set aside

Slice Chorizo

Dice your ham (if you have a bone in it; leave it there)

Dice your onion

Smash and mince your garlic

Slice and chop 2 medium sized golden potatoes

Heat pot, throw in chorizo and ham until brown

Add your onion and garlic and let it sauté a bit

Add your greens, potatoes and greens

Add 8 cups of water; let it cook on medium to high heat for about half hour; then add another cup of water because it evaporates s after some time; add your adobo (don't over do it; the ham releases the salty flavors after about 20 minutes to half hour).

Once the beans have softened, it's ready to serve.  If you decide to use canned beans, it will cut the cooking time in half.

Buen Provecho!

Chimichurri Sauce

For Father's Day, my husband asked me for some rice, black beans, and churrasco (skirt steak) with what he called "green sauce".   And on Fathers Day, what the hubs wants, the hubs gets, because he is the most awesome dad in the world!

 

What you need: 

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Handful of parsley (gives you about a table spoon once chopped)

Handful of cilantro

About 8-9 leaves of fresh basil

3 garlic cloves 

1 shallot 

About 8 stems of fresh oregano with the leaves

1/2 of a whole lime 

1 teaspoon of salt

What you need to do: 

Keep the 1/2 cup of olive oil in a small bowl to the side

Wash each ingredient and chop each one very finely.  As you chop each herb, put them in the olive oil. 

Parsley

Cilantro 

Basil

Garlic

Shallot

Oregano 

Remove the leaves from the oregano stems and chop finely. Discard that stems. 

Lime

Squeeze your lime juice into the mix

Salt

Once you mix all ingredients, it's ready to serve.