Venezuelan Sancocho

What you need

Ingredients

Measured for 6 servings.

• 908 gBoneless beef shank meat, raw
• 240 gOnion
• 60 g (about 1/2 pepper)Red bell pepper for broth
• 20 gGarlic for broth
• 20 gGarlic for finish
• 1 pcs (approx. 100 g)Leek
• 1920 mlBeef Stock, ready to use
• 60 gSweet Red Peppers
• 90 gScallions
• 2 pcs (approx. 200 g)Sweetcorn
• 227 gPotatoes
• 227 gYautia

Make it

Method

1. 01

   Cut 908 g raw boneless beef shank into large, even pieces; if purchasing bone-in shank, remove the bone and weigh 908 g usable meat. Halve 120 g of the onion and roughly chop 50 g of the leek for the broth; dice the remaining 120 g onion and finely slice the remaining 50 g leek, 60 g red bell pepper, 60 g mini sweet red peppers and 90 g scallions. Keep the two 20 g garlic portions separate. Peel and cube 227 g potatoes and 227 g yautia, and cut the two corn cobs (about 200 g edible kernels total) into manageable pieces. Use 1,920 ml ready-to-use stock, not dry bouillon powder.

2. 02

   Put the beef, halved onion, roughly chopped leek, 60 g broth bell pepper and first 20 g garlic in a large pot with the measured stock. Bring to a boil, skim the surface, then simmer covered for roughly 55–65 minutes until the shank begins to yield to a fork; a tougher cut may need longer. Keep the broth vegetables in the pot so the measured recipe and nutrition match what is served. Add corn and potatoes, and simmer about 10 minutes before adding yautia for another 10–15 minutes, until all roots are fully tender but still hold their shape.

3. 03

   Add the diced remaining onion, sliced leek, mini sweet red peppers, scallions and final 20 g garlic; simmer for about 5 more minutes until the added vegetables soften and the beef is fork-tender. Taste the broth and season to preference; extra salt and side dishes are not included in the calculated nutrition. Divide the meat, corn, roots and broth evenly among six generous bowls. This simplified version intentionally omits cassava, yam, squash and cilantro from the fuller source recipe.