"What Is Sancocho?" Project Enye Short Provides the Answer -- and a Recipe
Fidel Paulino stars in Project Enye's microdocumentary "What Is Sancocho?"
Sancocho is a stew that originated in the Dominican Republic. Its ingredients come from Europe, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, and are a reflection of the many cultures that make up Dominican identity. The stew offers a taste of how complex the Latino experience can be in this country, and one version is featured in one of the micro-documentaries produced by Just Media for Project Enye, which is aiming the spotlight on the 16 million first-generation Latinos living in this country.
For that short, the Project Enye team organized a night of cooking with drummer and community organizer Fidel Paulino, who made sancocho for the gathering. Keep reading for the recipe. See also: Project Enye Puts the Focus on the 16 Million First-Generation Latinos in This Country
(Note: there are many ways to make sancocho, the following recipe comes from Project Enye's Episode 003: "What Is Sancocho?"
Ingredients: 1 pound of chicken meat 1 pound of pork 1 pound of beef 1 yuca "cassava" root ( medium size) 2 green platanos 2 or 3 yautias ( called malanga here in Colorado, but malanga is a different root to us, and could also be in the sancocho) a quarter of a butternut squash or any other squash 2 heads of corn (kernels separated) 2 table spoons brown sugar white onion (chopped) 3 cloves garlic (minced) 1 bell pepper (chopped)
1. Cut yuca, yautias (or malanga) and squash into small cubes.
2. Marinate meats with vinegar and limes before seasoning with garlic powder, oregano, salt to season meats.
3. Heat up the pan with oil. Add some brown sugar to hot oil until it browns and caramelizes. Drop chicken and pork in first until they get color and start releasing water, and then add beef. When all meats have released water and are simmering, add chopped onions, peppers and garlic, then add the yucca, malanga, squash and corn.
4. Grate platanos down and make into small dumpling-type balls. Add to the stew once all other ingredients are in the pot and the stew is hot.
5. Boil for about 2 hours.
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