Dominican Cocido de paticas, a goat, cow, or pig trotters stew may seem a bit intimidating at first. Don't worry, it's a fairly simple recipe, and we have paid special care to write it in a way that simplifies the preparation. Try this flavorful stew, it'll be a success at the table.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Oct 27, 2011
Why we ❤️ it
While Cocido de patas (pig trotters stew) is a popular dish in the Dominican Republic, it takes time to prepare, so it's only served on special occasions or in specialty restaurants.
I was pretty sure that this pig feet stew recipe would be one of those recipes that people take a look at, shrug, and quickly forget. I admit was wrong. It turns out it's not just us diehard fans of Dominican food who enjoy the tasty richness of this stew; it's popular with many visitors too!
What is Cocido de Patas (Beef or Pig Trotters Stew)?
This is one of the traditional stews of our country, and it is prepared with beef trotters, pork trotters or goat trotters. Each cook has their own combination: from simpler stews to the more complicated ones with more vegetables and ingredients. Ours is of medium complexity.
There is a combination in which pig foot or cow trotters are mixed with Mondongo stew (tripes) and cooked together, known as "patimondongo".
This pig trotter --or cow trotter-- recipe is not a soup that is commonly prepared at home, and mami seldom did. It is more common to eat it in specialized restaurants. In fact, by consulting the antique Dominican cookbooks that I own, I see that only one includes this recipe.
Cocido de patas (pig trotters stew).
Serving suggestions
Some traditional side dishes served with Paticas are Arroz blanco (white rice), Tostones, and avocado.
Moro de habichuelas (rice and beans), Guineítos verdes (green bananas) and Yuca hervida are also popular.
Top tips
- Pressure cooker: I recommend using a pressure cooker, but we also tell you how to cook pig trotters (or beef trotters) if you make it in a normal pot.
- Other trotters: You can make the same dish using cow trotters, pig trotters, or goat trotters.
- Tomato paste: You can use tomato paste instead of tomato sauce; just dilute it in a cup of water before adding it to the pot.
- Spiciness: The habanero or Scotch bonnet pepper is optional, as mentioned above; if you are not used to spicy food, proceed with caution as they are very potent. Start with less than half and add more until it is to your liking.
- Thickening: Let me clarify that the reason why the stew thickens is not so much the amount of fat in this cut, what thickens it is the collagen that is released when it is boiled.
About this recipe
This is mami's recipe for the hog trotters Dominican-style I grew up with. As is almost always the case, this is my familiar version of this Dominican stew, with the odd trick I learned along the way.
Not everyone adds chickpeas, but when I tried it with chickpeas I loved it. The potato is also an ingredient that appears in some versions and not others.
The recipe mentioned above ("Patitas de Cerdo Guisadas en Salsa de Tomate" from the book La Cocina Dominicana by María Ramírez de Carías) is seasoned with some different ingredients; it contains capers, malagueta (allspice), and "English" sauce (Worcestershire). Veritably, I say unto thee: "Cada cocinero tiene su librito"
If you have your own secret to cooking pork trotters, tell us in the comments.
Recipe
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Cocido de Paticas (Pig Trotters Stew)
Ingredients
- 2½ lbs pork trotters, [1 kg] cut into small pieces
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, (peanut, soy or corn)
- leaves from a celery stalk
- 1 sprig thyme (fresh)
- 1 sprig oregano (fresh), or 1 teaspoon of dry leaves
- 2¼ teaspoons salt, (or more, to taste)
- ½ teaspoons pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground), (or more, to taste)
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 2 large tomato, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup boiled chickpeas
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 4 floury potatoes, diced
- 2 carrot, diced
- ½ Scotch bonnet pepper, or habanero (optional)
Instructions
How to season pig trotters
1. Season with lime
Add the lime juice to the meat and mix well.
2. Brown meat
- Heat oil over medium heat in a heavy pan. Add trotters to the pan and brown. Remove the pan from the heat.
3. Add water
- Place the meat into a pot (3 qt [3 lt] capacity). Add 6 cups of water to the pot. Add celery leaves, thyme, and oregano. Add a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper.
4. Boil
- Boil until the trotters are very tender and the meat falls off the bones. In a conventional pot, it may take 1-2 hours or about 30 minutes in a pressure cooker. If you are not using a pressure cooker, then add water when necessary to keep the meat covered.When the trotters are tender, remove the herbs from the pot and discard them.
5. Separate
- Remove the meat from the liquid in which it boiled, set both aside. Let everything cool to room temperature.
6. Cook vegetables
Return the pot you used before to the stove and heat over low heat. Add the garlic, then the onion, and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the celery stalk and then the tomatoes and bell pepper, potatoes, carrots, chickpeas, trotters, tomato sauce, and mix.
7. Add liquid
- Skim the fat off the liquid in which the trotters boiled. Add them to the pot (6 cups). Add Scotch bonnet pepper. Simmer covered over low heat until the potatoes and carrots are cooked through.
8. Serve
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with white rice and avocado slices.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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More pork recipes
Pork is one our favorite meats, and we have many Dominican pork recipes in our collection to prove it. Don't miss Pork chicharrones, Puerco asado roast, Puerco guisado stew, and many more.
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