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Caldo de costilla
Beef rib broth
Caldo de costilla: Bogotá's beef rib broth with potatoes and coriander, a hearty breakfast
Bogotá wakes up to caldo de costilla. Cafeterías near markets and bus terminals ladle it out from early morning, and it is the city's famous cure after a late night: beef short ribs simmered until tender in a clear, golden broth with potatoes, onion, garlic and a big handful of coriander. It's simple, beefy and restoring, served with an arepa, a cup of hot chocolate or coffee and maybe a slice of bread. People are tempted to boil it hard to save time; the broth turns cloudy and greasy and the meat tightens, so give it a slow, steady simmer. Chef's tip: make the broth the night before and chill it; you can lift off the solid fat in the morning and simply reheat with the potatoes for a fast, clean breakfast.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb beef short ribscut into 5 cm pieces
- 10 ½ cups water
- 1 white onionhalved
- 3 spring onions2 whole, 1 finely chopped
- 4 garlic clovescrushed
- 2 ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- 1 ¾ lb potatoesfloury, peeled, cut into large chunks
- 1 oz fresh corianderstems tied, leaves chopped
To serve
- 4 arepas (optional)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put 2 ¼ lb beef short ribs and 10 ½ cups water in a large pot. Bring to the boil over a high heat and skim off the foam for 5 minutes, until the broth looks clear.
15 minStep 2: Add 1 white onion, the whole 2 ⅛ spring onions, 4 garlic cloves, 2 ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp ground cumin and the tied coriander stems from ⅜ oz fresh coriander. Simmer gently, half-covered, for 1 hour, until the meat is tender and starting to pull away from the bone.
60 minStep 3: Lift out and discard the onion and coriander stems. Add 1 ¾ lb potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes, until tender but holding their shape.
20 minStep 4: Taste for salt. Serve each bowl with a couple of ribs and potatoes, topped with the chopped ⅞ spring onions and ⅝ oz fresh coriander leaves, with 4 arepas on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 31 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does caldo de costilla take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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 onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
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