Cocido de Res

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In Spain, if you’re served cocido you’ll get something very different. There, it’s whooping rich flavored stew prepared with numerous cuts of meats to include pork belly, pigs feet, Spanish ham, blood sausage, beef, chicken and a few veggies – garbanzo, potato, and cabbage.

Mexican cocido is “cocido light”. It’s broth is made with cuts of beef that are more bone than meat. Beef shank is the meat of choice but I used beef neck bones. Gotta have bones. Eliminate the beef and you have a flavorful vegan vegetable soup. There’s probably not a Mexican household where cocido is not prepared and you can find it served in small family restaurants.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients

Soup

2 lbs meaty beef soup bones, like beef shank or neck bones

10 cups water

1 small onion peeled and halved

1 large carrot

1 large leafy stalk of celery

6-8 strands parsley

2 bay leaves

8 pepper corns

1 tablespoon salt

Vegetables

4 medium potatoes peeled and cut in quarters

5 medium size carrots, peeled and cut 1 ½ inch long

½ lb green beans, tips trimmed and cut 1 inch long

2 cobs of corn (when in season) cut in quarters

2 large zucchini cut 1 inch long

2 wedges cabbage

Salt and pepper

1 cup chopped cilantro, for serving

4 limes, halved, for serving

Preparation

Broth

Prepare the beef broth a day ahead and store overnight in the refrigerator for the purpose of hardening the fat, for easy removal the next day.

In a large, heavy pot, add 10 cups water, beef, onion, carrot, celery, parsley, pepper corns, bay leaves, and 1 tablespoons of salt. Bring to a boil, skimming the top when needed. Cover, reduce heat and continue cooking 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the meat is tender.

Allow the broth to cool some then remove the meat, piece it, and store aside for the next day. Next remove and discard the cooked vegetables. Finally, filter the broth through a sieve to remove any remaining bits and peppercorns. Store the broth overnight then remove the hardened fat and discard it. If needed add 2 cups of water then add salt to taste.

Cocido

Cooking times vary for each vegetable so cook them in stages. Start with adding the potatoes and bring the soup to a simmer. Cook the carrots and potatoes for 5 minutes, add green beans and cook for 5 minutes, add zucchini and corn and cook for 5 minutes then add cabbage and cook for 3 minutes or until just tender. Taste for salt.