Ajiaco

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

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
Stew
Soup
Caribbean
Gluten-free

Ingredients

Method