Ajiaco

Name: Ajiaco (Traditional Meat and Vegetable Stew)
Yield: Serves 12
Cuisine: Cuba
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice; ½ pound tasajo (salt dried beef); 1½ pound (1 medium) white malanga (white-fleshed taro root); 1¼ pound (1 small) yellow malanga (yellow-fleshed taro root); 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes; 1 pound beef short ribs; 4 quarts Caldo de Res (Beef Broth) or water; 1 ripe plantain (skin should be black); 1½ cups peeled, cubed calabaza or butternut squash; 3 bay leaves; 1 pound (2 medium) boniatos (white sweet potatoes); 2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped; Fresh lime wedges; 1 pound beef skirt steak or flank steak; 1½ tablespoons (5 to 6 cloves) minced garlic; Salsa Picante de Don Justo (Don Justo’s Hot Sauce) or other hot pepper sauce to taste; 2 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste; 3 to 4 ears fresh corn, husked and cut into 1-inch rounds; 1 pound pork shoulder; ¼ cup olive oil; Salt to taste; 1½ pound (½ small) ñame (African yam); 2 cups (1 large) chopped onion; ½ pound (1 small) yuca; 1 green plantain (skin should be green to yellow)

Traditional Meat and Vegetable Stew

Preparation info

Serves
12

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Eating Cuban

By Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs

Published 2006

About

Ajiaco is a dish with deep roots in Cuban history. Its origins can be traced back to the Ciboney and Taino people who inhabited the island before the arrival of the Spanish in the late fifteenth century. These Native Americans were fishermen, farmers, and hunters. Among the crops that they grew in mounded beds called conucos were yuca (cassava), maíz (corn), boniato (white sweet potato), calabaza (West Indian pumpkin), and ajies (hot chiles).

The f

Ingredients

Americas
Cuba
Havana
Caribbean
Soup
Gluten-free

Ingredients

Method