Sancocho

Ingredients

• 3 quarts water

• 2 pounds beef (preferably flank steak), cut into 3-inch hunks

• 1 pound pork chops

• 4 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped (about ¼ cup)

• 1 green bell pepper, chopped

• 2 hot green peppers, chopped

• ½ teaspoon fresh oregano

• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

• Tabasco sauce to taste

• ½ pound Jamaican pumpkin (calabaza), peeled and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces

• 2 ears fresh corn, sliced into ½-inch rounds

• 1 pound white or yellow Caribbean yams, peeled and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces

• 2 green plantains, peeled and cut into 2-inch slices

• 1 pound yuca (cassava), peeled and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces

• 1 pound batata (white Caribbean sweet potato), peeled and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces

• 1 pound yautia (also called malanga), peeled and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces

• White vinegar to taste

• White rice

• About 2 to 3 ripe avocados, sliced