Recipe: Slow Cooker Puerto Rican Sancocho (Puerto Rican Vegetable and Meat Stew)

Slow Cooker Puerto Rican Sancocho (Puerto Rican Vegetable and Meat Stew)

Bodega Flava® Latin Seasonings has flipped the script and moved our culture’s beloved Sancocho from the stovetop to the slow cooker! Why? Because in the 21st century, everyone wants to eat good but no one has time to watch a boiling pot!

Full of healthy root vegetables, using Bodega Flava® Latin Seasonings and healthier cuts of pork, beef and chicken (or turkey), you can have an easy-to-make, wonderfully healthy meal waiting for you at the end of the workday or any given Sunday.

The heart of Sancocho is the Caribbean / Puerto Rican native root vegetables used, such as yuca (aka cassava) yautia, malanga, taro, sweet potatoes, ñame, and white yams. Often found in food markets with large Puerto Rican communities, these same root vegetables can be found in well-stocked Asian supermarkets (as well as culantro, a native fresh herb used in Sancocho that is used also in Asian cuisine.)

Some of the health benefits of Puerto Rican root vegetables are:

• Good source of dietary energy.
• Rich in soluble and insoluble fiber.
• High levels of vitamins A, B & C.
• High levels of minerals and antioxidants.
• Help boost gut health.
• Lower high levels of blood fats and glucose.
• Reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.

Your prep time is mostly peeling the vegetables, so make sure you have good potato peelers and various sharpened paring knives for this task. (Throw away that busted potato peeler in the kitchen drawer. It’s never going to work again. Replace it.) Expect 1-2 hours of prep, depending how large of a stew you’re making and your prep time for your meats. If you find your slow cooker is too small for the recipe below, you can freeze the extra portion and slow cook it for a later meal.

Below is the simplest version for anyone who wants Sancocho without spending hours in the kitchen. By using Bodega Flava® Latin Seasonings Ground Black Pepper, Puerto Rican Cabo Rojo Sea Salt, Organic Adobo Seasoning, and Natural Sazón Seasoning, along with selecting organic and natural ingredients, you’ll have an amazingly healthy and delicious meal that you WILL want again and again!

Slow Cooker Puerto Rican Sancocho (Puerto Rican Vegetable and Meat Stew)

Yield: 12 servings

Prep Time: 1-2 hours

Cook Time: 6 hours

Ingredients:

½ cup olive oil

1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped

1 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

3 ají dulce (or any small sweet chili pepper), seeded and chopped

6 fresh culantro leaves, washed and chopped

1 lb boneless chuck beef, trimmed and cubed (1-inch)

1 lb pork shoulder, trimmed and cubed (1-inch)

2 ½ pounds chicken, skinned and cut into serving pieces

2 teaspoons Bodega Flava® Latin Seasonings Ground Black Pepper

2 teaspoons Bodega Flava® Latin Seasonings Puerto Rican Cabo Rojo Sea Salt

2 teaspoons Bodega Flava® Latin Seasonings Organic Adobo Seasoning

2 teaspoons Bodega Flava® Latin Seasonings Natural Sazón Seasoning

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 ears fresh corn, shucked and quartered (or 4-6 frozen 2-inch corn on the cob pieces)

½ pound yuca, peeled and cut (1-inch)

½ pound yautía, peeled and cut (1-inch)

½ pound ñame, peeled and cut (1-inch)

2 medium yams, peeled and cut (1-inch)

½ lb pumpkin, peeled and cut (1-inch)

3 green plantains, peeled and quartered

½ cup tomato sauce

1 cup water

1. Pour olive oil in slow cooker and coat inside of cooker then pour out all oil into a large Dutch oven or pot on the stove.
2. In a small bowl, add Bodega Flava® Latin Seasonings Ground Black Pepper, Puerto Rican Cabo Rojo Sea Salt, Organic Adobo Seasoning and Natural Sazón Seasoning and blend well together.
3. Heat oil over moderate heat, adding bell pepper, onion, garlic, ají dulce and culantro. Sauté until tender (no more than 5 minutes).
4. Add all your meats, oregano, culantro and half of the Bodega Flava® Latin Seasonings blend mixture. Sauté until meats are browned (Add additional oil as needed.)
5. Remove chicken pieces from pot and set aside.
6. Add corn, yuca, yautía, ñame, yams, pumpkin, and plantains to meat and stir until coated. Turn off burner and remove from heat.
7. In a medium size bowl, add tomato sauce, water, and the remaining Bodega Flava® Latin Seasonings blend mixture. Blend well together.
8. Little by little, add ingredients from pot and chicken pieces into the slow cooker, blending well until all ingredients are in the cooker.
9. Pour tomato sauce mixture over ingredients and place lid on cooker.
10. Set to low and cook for 6-8 hours. Enjoy!