A hearty Costa Rican beef and root vegetable stew, slow-simmered until the broth turns golden and the vegetables melt into tenderness.
In the highlands of Costa Rica, Sunday afternoons are measured by the aroma drifting from a clay pot on the stove. Olla de Carne is the kind of dish grandmothers have cooked for generations, transforming humble cuts of beef and garden vegetables into something deeply nourishing. Each household guards its own sequence of ingredients, but the ritual is the same everywhere. The stew's soul is in its patience. Beef on the bone simmers for over an hour before the first root vegetable enters the broth — yuca, chayote, green plantain, corn, potato, and carrot each taking their turn. The broth thickens with collagen released from the bones, becoming something close to sacred. Costa Ricans serve the broth separately first, drinking it like a warming tea from a cup, then eat the solids as a second course. It is a meal that teaches you to slow down, to let good things take the time they need.
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