Cookbook:Sancocho (Dominican Meat and Vegetable Soup)

| Caribbean cuisine

Sancocho is popular in the Dominican Republic and called by many its national dish.

Chicken

 * 1 large orange, juiced
 * 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
 * ¼ bunch curly parsley, large stems removed
 * ¼ bunch cilantro, large stems removed
 * 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
 * 2 cloves garlic, minced
 * Salt
 * Freshly ground black pepper
 * 1 pound (about 500 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

Soup

 * 1 tablespoon clear oil, such as canola
 * 2 cups vegetable stock
 * 4 cups water
 * 1 medium white onion, chopped
 * 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
 * 1 medium boiling potato, unpeeled and cut into bite-size chunks
 * 1 green plantain, peeled and sliced into ½-inch thick slices (see notes)
 * 1 ear corn, quartered
 * 1 jalapeño or habanero chile, seeded and minced
 * Salt to taste
 * Pepper, to taste
 * Hot cooked rice (optional)
 * Hot sauce (optional but not recommended)
 * Chopped cilantro (optional)

Chicken

 * 1) In bowl of a food processor or blender, combine orange juice, lemon juice, parsley, cilantro, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper, and process until combined.
 * 2) Pour mixture into a non-reactive bowl, add chicken and stir to combine.
 * 3) Cover and refrigerate 1–2 hours.

Soup

 * 1) Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. When hot, use a slotted spoon to lift the chicken out of the marinade and place in the pot, reserving marinade. Cook chicken until opaque, stirring occasionally.
 * 2) Add reserved marinade, vegetable stock and water to the pot, and bring to a boil.
 * 3) Add onion, sweet potato, potato, plantain, corn, jalapeño, salt and pepper.
 * 4) Bring back to a boil, reduce to low and cook partially covered for 1–1½ hours.

Notes, tips, and variations

 * To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with a small scoop of rice, if desired. Pass hot sauce and cilantro at the table.
 * Because this soup has a long simmering time, choose an unripe green plantain rather than a ripe yellow or black-colored plantain, which has a softer texture.
 * Each cook makes his own recipe for sancocho, combining root vegetables with different kinds of meat, some with up to seven meats.
 * To make the soup even more authentic, add a small peeled cubed yuca root to the broth, along with the other vegetables.