When my daughter was a toddler I had the most difficult time trying to feed her, since I had to work she was in the care of a wonderful lady called Carmen, but Carmen loved so much my baby that she cook only what the baby would eat and that was mashed potatoes a pulled chicken, being from Venezuela that meant no condiment no salt, not fat....so my beautiful and already thin daughter was being raise to become a pageant because like that she would never come close to be no even an ounce over her weigh also she was never going to eat anything I cooked.
That's how I decide to take her to a short vacation 8 hours away from the nice lady and close to my family one out of two things may had happened she would starve or she would learn how to eat; so she did eat and how!!!! That day we went to a river and one of my aunts offer to me what it was the best and warm cup of soup there was, for Michelle! How do you explain a person from a family of food lovers that your daughter does not eat that? As awkward as it was I try to explain it, she wouldn't eat it, so not to worry I had brougt with me milk and baby's food so I could feed her, she looked at me like I had grown two heads and told me she would do it.... And she sat my sweet toddler and feed her not one but two cups of Sancocho, that was the day I had to learn how to make the soup that was a staple on my family ....... for my very much loved but very picky daughter.
Sancocho Venezolano a lo Guerrero
Ingredients: for 4 people
1 Hen or 1 lb of Oxtail or 1 lb beef ribs or a mix of them
2 Potatoes
1 Green plantains
1 Yuca also know as Cassava
1 Corn in the cob cut in 4 pieces
1 Apio also known as Celery Root you may found it in various supermarkets nowadays
4 green onion ( white and green part, cut in half inch rings)
2 Chile cachucha sweet ( looks like a Habanero but is not hot)
Cilantro
1 gallon of water
Salt
Instructions :
Bring to a boil the water, green onions and chiles, put the meat on this and let it boil for 10 min, put the corn and let it cook while this cooks at least another 10 min peel and cut the rest of the ingredients cut then in same size I like them small but you may just cut them in fours check the meat is almost done before you put the plantains, cassava, celery root and potatoes, if I'm missing an ingredient this is the moment to put it in the pot except the cilantro. Let everything cook until soft and when the meat is ready you will notice the soup will get hearty because of the starches if the meat is done is the moment to cut the cilantro really small and throw it on the pot turn it of, cover with the lid and let it get the flavor for a few minutes. Serve and enjoy!
In my family with serve it in small cups and eat it with an arepa, this is definitively a soup you may enjoy when you need to recover from drinking or as in my family case in every family reunion.
