Tapado olanchano

Step 1: Drain 1 ⅛ lb salted dried beef (cecina or tasajo), rinse it and cut into 5 cm pieces. Taste a tiny corner: if it is still very salty, simmer it in fresh water for 10 minutes and drain.

Step 2: Put the beef and 1 ⅓ lb pork spare ribs in a large pot with 12 ½ cups water. Bring to the boil, skim off the foam, then simmer, half covered, for 1 hour until the beef is starting to soften.

Step 3: In a frying pan, warm 2 tbsp vegetable oil over a medium heat and cook 1 onion, 1 green pepper and 4 cloves garlic for 6 minutes. Add 2 tomatoes, 1 tsp ground annatto (achiote) and 1 tsp ground cumin and cook for 5 minutes more until jammy, then tip this sofrito into the pot.

Step 4: Add 1 ⅛ lb cassava (yuca) and 10 ½ oz taro (malanga) and simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 5: Add 2 green plantains, 2 carrots and 1 chayote and simmer for 15 minutes until the cassava is tender when pierced.

Step 6: Add 1 ripe plantain and ¼ white cabbage and simmer for a final 10–15 minutes, until the cabbage is soft and the pork comes away from the bone easily (it will be well past 160°F).

Step 7: Stir in ⅔ oz culantro or fresh coriander, then taste the broth and add ½ tsp salt only if it needs it. Serve each person meat, vegetables and a ladle of broth, with corn tortillas.