Puchero de Mamá §

This is a family classic. It’s a type of stew with meat and vegetables. We would have Puchero every Monday growing up because it also gives you a Spanish tortilla for dinner and broth for the rest of the week (I’ll add notes on this). When I moved away at 18, this was the first recipe that I asked my mom for. For me, it tastes like home, and however simple, there are only a few other meals that make me as happy as Puchero.

I have to admit that when I was young I was tired of having Puchero so often. But now I haven’t only realized how rich-in-flavor and healthy it is, I also miss it dearly.

As I have mentioned regarding family recipes, lots can change depending on availability. So as long as you have the first 5 ingredients, you can replace the rest or change the quantities if preferred.

Other considerations and spin-offs

• Puchero must be had with homemade mayo (it’ll only take 1 egg, a squeeze of lemon, around 200ml of sunflower oil, and salt and it’s 100% worth it. I’ll add the recipe for this at some point, but it’s super easy to make).
• Mom’s notes: “The more bone you add the better broth you’ll get” (and I can’t tell you how good soup from Puchero is).
• Mom’s spin-offs: 1) she’ll add some chopped basil if it’s fresh and abundant (the woman has a garden so I can’t relate yet) and 2) if she happens to have a chicken carcass she’ll add it too (this is even harder to relate too).

My mom’s recipe feeds around 4 people (on day 1 alone) and it’s the only recipe that exists for me:

Ingredients §

• Ossobuco (cross-cut veal shanks) or short ribs (it just needs to be beef and have bone), at least 1 piece/person.
• 3 carrots (2 whole and 1 grated)
• 1/3 cup of chopped parsley (approximately, plan for a good handful)
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 stalk of leek
• 1 bunch of green onions
• 1 full onion (any works, but I have never seen red onions in Puchero)
• 1 tomato
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 potato
• 1 sweet potato (I like Japanese sweet potato or “batata”)
• 1 ear of corn (I usually do 2 of these because I love corn)
• 1 small butternut squash or pumpkin
• 1 zapallito del tronco (very hard to find in the U.S. but doesn’t make much of a difference so don’t worry if you can’t get it)
• Salt, a little dry oregano, some pepper, and a bay leaf

Procedure §

• Put the meat in a large pot and fill it up a little over halfway. Add 1 peeled and grated carrot, chopped parsley, and half of the small butternut squash/pumpkin grated (yes, you can grate squash, just peel it first). Boil for 1-1.5 hours depending on the meat (the better and more tender the meat, the less cooking it will require).
• Prepare the rest of the vegetables and cut them into big chunks (a potato can be used whole or cut in two depending on the size). Boil until all vegetables are cooked through.
• Add salt and spices.
• Take the vegetables and meat out of the pot one by one, making sure to save the broth. Serve the vegetables and have that homemade mayo at hand.
• What you can make with Puchero:
  • Traditionally, after finishing the vegetables and meat, you heat up some of the broth (in a smaller pot) and make a little secondo-piatto soup. For the soup, you can use rice, pasta, polenta, oatmeal, a couple of eggs, or pretty much whatever you prefer. Let the rest of the broth cool completely and store it in the fridge. Now for every dinner the rest of the week just boil some of the broth with your choice of carbs and done!
  • If you don’t prefer making soup from broth and you have leftovers of the vegetables, you can chop them up (once cool), add a few eggs, salt, and pepper, and make a Spanish tortilla in the skillet. This used to be dinner on Monday night.
  • If you don’t want the broth nor the Spanish tortilla, you can put both (including the meat if any is left) in a blender and make this hearty vegetable soup. Note that it’ll last for a shorter time that just the broth because this soup includes the vegetables.