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Ajiaco cubano
Root vegetable and meat stew
Ajiaco criollo: Camagüey's root-vegetable stew with beef, pork and chicken
Ajiaco is often called Cuba's national stew, and in Camagüey it is still cooked in huge pots for festivals and family gatherings: dried or fresh beef, pork and chicken simmered with malanga, yuca, boniato, green and ripe plantain, corn and calabaza until the roots break down and thicken the broth. It is a whole meal in a bowl, finished with lime and a fried sofrito. This version uses beef shin, pork shoulder and chicken thighs. The mistake most people make is adding every vegetable at once; firm roots go in first and soft pumpkin and ripe plantain last. Chef's tip: mash a few chunks of pumpkin and malanga against the side of the pot at the end, which gives the broth its body.
- Total time
- 190 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the meats
- 1 ⅛ lb beef shincut into 4 cm chunks
- 14 oz boneless pork shouldercut into 4 cm chunks
- 4 chicken thighsbone in, skin removed
- 3.5 litres water
- 2 ½ tsp saltdivided
For the roots
- 14 oz cassava (yuca)peeled, woody core removed, cut into chunks
- 14 oz malangapeeled with gloves, cut into chunks (or taro)
- 1 green plantainpeeled, cut into 3 cm rounds
- 2 sweetcorn cobseach cut into 4
- 10 ½ oz white sweet potato (boniato)peeled, cut into chunks
- 14 oz pumpkinpeeled, cut into chunks
- 1 ripe plantainpeeled, cut into 3 cm rounds
For the sofrito
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 1 green pepperchopped
- 5 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 limejuiced
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 1 ⅛ lb beef shin and 14 oz boneless pork shoulder in a very large pot with 3.5 litres water and half of 1 ¼ tsp salt. Bring to the boil, skim off the grey foam, then simmer partly covered for 1 hour.
65 minStep 2: Add 4 chicken thighs and simmer for 20 minutes more.
20 minStep 3: Add 14 oz cassava (yuca), 14 oz malanga, 1 green plantain and 2 sweetcorn cobs and simmer for 25 minutes.
25 minStep 4: Add 10 ½ oz white sweet potato (boniato), 14 oz pumpkin and 1 ripe plantain and simmer for 20 minutes, until every root is tender and the pumpkin is starting to fall apart. The chicken must reach 165°F and the pork 160°F; by now both will be well above that and falling off the bone.
20 minStep 5: Meanwhile, warm 3 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook 1 onion and 1 green pepper for 8 minutes. Add 5 garlic cloves, 1 tsp ground cumin and 2 tbsp tomato purée and stir for 2 minutes.
10 minStep 6: Lift out the chicken, pull the meat off the bones and return it. Stir in the sofrito and the rest of 1 ¼ tsp salt, then mash some pumpkin and malanga against the pot to thicken the broth.
5 minStep 7: Simmer for 5 minutes more, stir in 2 lime and serve in deep bowls with a piece of each root and meat.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ajiaco cubano take?
- About 190 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of white sweet potato (boniato)?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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