Name: Cocido campesino from Nemocón
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 1 h 25 min
Total time: 10 h
Cuisine: Colombian
Ingredients: 2.84 L water; 1000 g papa sabanera potatoes, peeled and sliced; 1000 g papa criolla potatoes, peeled and sliced; 250 g chuguas (rubas), scrubbed; 250 g hibias (ibias), scrubbed; 250 g cubios, scrubbed; 500 g dried whole green peas, dry weight before soaking; 250 g fresh shelled fava beans; 10 g fine salt for the pot; 480 ml whole milk; 16 g fine corn flour (harina de maíz); 250 g mild fresh white cheese, crumbled; 80 g celery, finely chopped; 300 g yellow onion, finely chopped; 120 g scallions, finely chopped; 125 g butter; 2 g ground achiote or Colombian color; 2 g fine salt for the chorriado

Nemocón cocido campesino with Andean potatoes, native tubers, peas, fava beans and creamy chorriado.

Region Nemocón, Cundinamarca, Colombian Andes

Category Tuber-and-legume main with chorriado

Yield 10 portions

Preparation time About 35 minutes, plus overnight soaking

Active time About 35 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Cocido campesino from Nemocón

Andean potatoes, native tubers and peas are simmered until tender, then finished with a warm milk-and-cheese chorriado.

In Nemocón, Cundinamarca, cocido campesino brings together ingredients of the Andean highlands: potatoes, chuguas, hibias, cubios and legumes, served with a generous chorriado. Colombia’s national recipe inventory records it as an everyday main dish from Nemocón, traditionally cooked in a clay pot. The detailed cookbook version is meat-free and uses a separate creamy topping.

Similar names can refer to different dishes. Cocido de Subachoque and broader Boyacense versions may include beef, pork, sausage or corn. This recipe follows the Nemocón preparation: two kinds of potato, three Andean tubers, peas and fava beans, with milk, fresh white cheese, celery and onions in the sauce.

The dried peas need an overnight soak, so plan ahead. The small tubers and legumes cook first; sliced sabanera potato follows, then the more delicate criolla potato. Meanwhile, make the chorriado gently so the cheese melts into the milk without scorching. Drain the vegetables, reserve their broth for another use or to loosen a serving, and spoon the hot sauce over the platter.

Ingredients

2.84 L water
1000 g papa sabanera potatoes, peeled and sliced
1000 g papa criolla potatoes, peeled and sliced
250 g chuguas (rubas), scrubbed
250 g hibias (ibias), scrubbed
250 g cubios, scrubbed
500 g dried whole green peas, dry weight before soaking
250 g fresh shelled fava beans
10 g fine salt for the pot
480 ml whole milk
16 g fine corn flour (harina de maíz)
250 g mild fresh white cheese, crumbled
80 g celery, finely chopped
300 g yellow onion, finely chopped
120 g scallions, finely chopped
125 g butter
2 g ground achiote or Colombian color
2 g fine salt for the chorriado

Method

Soak the peas and prepare the produce Cover the dried peas with plenty of cool water and soak for 8 hours or overnight; drain and rinse. Scrub the chuguas, hibias, cubios and fava beans. Peel and slice both kinds of potato evenly. Finely chop the celery, yellow onion and scallions, and crumble the cheese. Keep the dairy chilled until you start the sauce.
Simmer the small tubers and legumes Put the measured water, chuguas, hibias, cubios, drained peas, fava beans and pot salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer. Cook for about 45 minutes, until the peas are nearly tender and the small tubers are beginning to soften. Keep the ingredients covered with liquid; add hot water only if needed.
Add the potatoes in stages Add the sabanera slices and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the criolla slices and cook for another 20 minutes. Test a piece of each with a small knife: the centre should be tender, while the slices remain intact. Avoid vigorous stirring, which can break the potatoes and make the platter muddy.
Make the chorriado While the vegetables simmer, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the celery, yellow onion and scallions and cook for 10 minutes until soft, not browned. Stir in the achiote, sauce salt and corn flour for 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk, stirring until smooth; add the cheese and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Stir often and lower the heat if the dairy begins to catch.
Drain, dress and serve Taste a pea and a spoonful of sauce; adjust the salt only if needed. Drain the vegetables, reserving the broth. Arrange them on a warm platter and pour the hot chorriado over the top. Serve at once. A little reserved broth can loosen the sauce on the platter or be served separately.

Practical guidance

Practical

Nutrition per serving

Rounded ingredient-based estimate. Fresh cheese salt and fat, Andean tuber varieties and the amount of broth retained can change these values.

Practical guidance

1. Cut the two potatoes into even slices, but keep the smaller native tubers whole when they are small; halve larger ones. Consistent sizes help everything finish together. 2. The peas are weighed dry before soaking. If they are still firm after the first simmer, continue cooking until nearly tender before adding the first potatoes. 3. Papa sabanera is relatively firm; papa criolla softens faster and helps give the platter a creamy edge. Adding them in separate stages protects their texture. 4. Chuguas or rubas, hibias or ibias, and cubios have distinct earthy, lightly sweet or peppery notes. Ordinary turnips or potatoes are not exact flavor replacements. 5. A clay olla reflects the documented method, but a heavy stainless-steel or enamelled pot works on a modern stove. Use only a clay vessel designed for cooking. 6. Equipment: A large heavy pot, a medium saucepan, colander, cutting board, knife, measuring jug, kitchen scale, wooden spoon and warm serving platter. 7. Keep the chorriado at a gentle simmer. A hard boil can make dairy stick to the pan and cause fresh cheese to toughen. 8. The pot liquid is not the sauce: drain the tender vegetables and spoon the separate chorriado over them. Reserve the cooking broth for soup or to moisten leftovers. 9. For meal preparation, soak the peas in the refrigerator. Rinse the dried peas after soaking and cook them fully until tender. 10. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours and reheat throughout to 74°C. Add a little reserved broth if the sauce thickens in the refrigerator.

Allergens and food safety

Contains milk from the milk, white cheese and butter. Check the cheese label for any additional declared allergens. This documented Nemocón version contains no meat, but it is not dairy-free. Soak the dried peas in the refrigerator or in cool potable water and rinse before cooking. Refrigerate the cooked cocido in shallow containers within 2 hours and reheat throughout to at least 74°C; discard perishable food left at room temperature longer than 2 hours.

Final notes

1: This Nemocón cocido combines sabanera and criolla potatoes, chuguas, hibias, cubios, peas and fava beans beneath a creamy chorriado. 2: It is a meat-free regional dish; other Colombian cocidos may include meats and sausages, so their recipes are not interchangeable.

Nutrition per serving

Serving basis: 1 of 10 portions
Calories: 610 kcal
Carbohydrates: 82 g
Protein: 26 g
Fat: 19 g
Fibre: 24 g
Sodium: 820 mg

Cocido campesino from Nemocón

Ingredients

Ingredients

Method

Practical

Nutrition per serving

Practical guidance

Allergens and food safety

Final notes

Nutrition per serving

Colombian National Dishes

Cocido de Subachoque

Carne seca al horno

Carne asada - tungos