Argentine · main

Puchero Criollo

Puchero Criollo reads richness 5.6, umami 5.2 and sweetness 5.0 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Argentine main, about 4 hr 5 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 5.6 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 5.5 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 1.7 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.8 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 6.2 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 2.3 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 5.6 · Umami 5.2 · Sweetness 5.0 · Salinity 3.4 · Earthy 2.5 · Nutty 2.0 · Allium 1.9 · Fruity 1.7 · Sourness 1.5 · Smoke 1.4 · Warm Spice 1.4 · Herbaceous 1.3 · Bitterness 1.0 · Heat 0.9 · Funk & Ferment 0.8 · Floral 0.6 · Citrus 0.6

What's in it (14)

• beef shin — 1200 g
• short ribs — 600 g
• chorizos colorados — 250 g
• chickpeas — 300 g
• water — 4000 g
• butternut squash — 600 g
• potatoes — 700 g
• red-skinned sweet potatoes — 400 g
• corn — 600 g
• cabbage — 600 g
• carrots — 250 g
• leeks — 250 g
• salt — 15 g
• short-grain rice — 200 g

Time & effort: about 4 hr 5 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 69.2 kcal, 2.8 g protein, 1.7 g fat, 11.1 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Puchero is the Spanish cocido as Buenos Aires kept it, and it is two courses out of one pot: the broth with rice or noodles first, then the meat and vegetables on a platter with mustard and coarse salt. It is Sunday food and it wants a very big pot.
2. Put the shin and the short rib in the pot with the cold water and the soaked chickpeas, tied in a piece of muslin if you want to fish them out easily. Bring it slowly to the boil — slowly matters, because a fast boil emulsifies the fat and clouds the broth.
3. Skim the grey scum patiently for the first 15 minutes, then lower the heat until the surface barely trembles and cook 2 hours. Add the salt at the end of the first hour.
4. Add the carrots, leeks and corn and cook 20 minutes, then the potato, sweet potato and squash for 20 minutes more. Lay the cabbage wedges on top for the last 15 minutes so they steam rather than boil apart, and poach the chorizos alongside for those same 15 minutes — added earlier they make the whole broth red and greasy.
5. Test everything: the shin should be falling from the bone and the marrow soft, the chickpeas creamy, and a knife should go through the squash with no resistance.
6. Lift the meat and vegetables out onto a warm platter and cover with foil. Strain about 1.5 litres of the broth into a clean pan, skim the fat, bring it to the boil and cook the rice in it for 15 minutes.
7. Serve the soup first in bowls. Then bring the platter, with coarse salt, mustard and a bowl of chimichurri or salsa criolla on the side, and let everyone build their own plate. Whatever is left becomes carne mechada or empanada filling the next day.
8. Substitutions: brisket can stand in for the beef short rib; small pasta can stand in for the short-grain rice.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Ѓувеч (Gjuveč, Baked Lamb, Pepper and Rice Tray) — Macedonian
• Jajangmyeon (짜장면) — Korean
• Hungarian Beef Goulash — Hungarian
• Sheet-Pan Sausage and Sweet Potato Hash — American
• English Ham — British

Keep reading: what richness, umami, sweetness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

See how this dish fits your palate — take the short taste test →

Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.