Puchero

Ingredients

Meat

• 1 kgbeef shin or brisket, on the bone
• 500 gpork ribs or belly
• 1chorizo or smoked sausage
• 1marrow bone

Pulses

• 250 gdried chickpeas, soaked overnight

Vegetables

• 4carrots
• 3potatoes
• 500 gmandioca, cassava
• 2corn cobs, in thick rounds
• 1onion
• 2leeks
• 300 gsquash, in chunks
• 1small cabbage, in wedges

Aromatics

• 2bay leaves
• 1 tsppeppercorns
• 1 bunchparsley
• salt

To serve

• the broth first, with rice or noodles
• then the meat and vegetables
• chimichurri or a vinaigrette

Directions

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight, and tie them in a muslin bag if you want to keep them together.
2. Put the beef, pork and marrow bone in a very large pot and cover with cold water. Start it in cold water rather than hot, which draws the flavour out into the broth.
3. Bring it slowly to a boil, taking a good half hour over it. Skim the grey scum constantly as it rises, for the first 20 minutes.
4. Skim it patiently. This is what makes the difference between a clear golden broth and a murky one.
5. Simmer, partly covered, for 2 hours until the meat is nearly tender and the chickpeas are soft. Now add the vegetables in order of how long they take.
6. Add the sausage late, because its fat and paprika colour the broth if it goes in early.
7. Serve with chimichurri or a sharp vinaigrette on the side, which is what the plainly boiled meat needs.

Technique

• The broth is better made a day ahead, chilled and degreased.
• Every country has its own puchero and the Spanish, Argentine, Uruguayan and Paraguayan versions differ mainly in the vegetables.
• It is a dish for a crowd and does not scale down well.

Substitutions

• Tinned chickpeas, added in the last 30 minutes.
• Any long-cooking beef and pork cuts on the bone.

Variations

• With chicken added to the pot.
• Puchero de gallina, made with a boiling fowl.
• Without cassava, which is the Argentine and Spanish version.

History

Spanish boiled dinner of beef, vegetables and chickpeas, adopted across the River Plate and Paraguay as a winter meal.

Frequently asked questions

What is Puchero?

Puchero is a soup & stew from Paraguay: beef, vegetables and chickpea boil, broth served first. Spanish boiled dinner of beef, vegetables and chickpeas, adopted across the River Plate and Paraguay as a winter meal.

How long does Puchero take to make?

Puchero takes 30 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 3 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Puchero?

Yes, within limits. Tinned chickpeas, added in the last 30 minutes. Any long-cooking beef and pork cuts on the bone.

What is the most important thing to get right in Puchero?

Put the beef, pork and marrow bone in a very large pot and cover with cold water. Start it in cold water rather than hot, which draws the flavour out into the broth.