Doña Juana is an important part of our Hiptipico family here in Panajachel, Guatemala. She is in charge of keeping the office organized, supporting with animal care and nurturing foster pups. She comes to the office 3 days a week and always greets us with a warm smile! And as soon as she told us that she loves preparing local Guatemalan dishes, we added in “cooking team lunches” to her repertoire! One of our favorite days is Caldo de Res days and when Alyssa was in town visiting we just had to have it on the menu!
Caldo de Res is a beef stew that, like many Guatemalan caldos, includes carrots, corn on the cob, güisquil, ayote,and potatoes. You can also accompany it with rice, avocado and lemon slices. Here is Dona Juana’s recipe that she wanted to share with all of you!
Ingredients - Serves 5
1 ½ lbs of beef for stew
½ onion (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic
Oregano, pepper and salt (to taste)
3 potatoes (peeled)
1 large carrot (chopped into large pieces)
1 güisquil (a kind of light green squash-like vegetable - chopped into large pieces)
2 corn cobs (chopped into large pieces)
2 large tomatoes
Cilantro (finely chopped)
Beef short rib (optional)
Instructions:
Cook the beef for about an hour with the tomatoes, chopped onions, oregano, pepper and salt. If you have a pressure cooker, cook for about 15 minutes. Scoop out tomatoes with a bit of broth and blend them, then pour back into the rest of the broth and add the corn cobs. Cook for a few minutes then add carrots and güisquil. Lastly add potatoes and short rib if you want to give it a bit more flavor. Cook for a few more minutes and, ¡listo!
Serve into soup bowls with a side of rice! Sprinkle with cilantro and add avocado and lime on the side as desired. 
When we asked Doña Juana what her secret ingredient was, without hesitation she replied:
“Love. Without love you can’t do anything.”
Gracias Doña Juana for taking such loving care of us and for preparing these tasty traditional Guatemalan dishes for us. Hopefully you will also enjoy your Caldo de Res, from Doña Juana’s kitchen to yours!
xx
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