Chícharos con Todo
Yellow split pea potaje on real sofrito with two ham hocks, chorizo, potatoes, and butternut squash. Comfort that hits every time.
The Cook
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Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Make the sofrito in the olive oil (garlic, onions, peppers, ají cachucha, paprika, achiote, azafrón, Sazón, oregano, cumin) on gentle heat until everything is soft and the kitchen smells right. The sofrito always cooks low, that's the rule.
Add the chopped chorizo and let the fat render out into the sofrito.
Take the chorizo OUT and set it aside. It goes back in at the end so it stays meaty instead of boiling away to nothing.
Add the split peas, both ham hocks, and the bay leaves. Pour in about 6 cups of chicken stock, enough to fully cover everything.
Seal the lid, valve to Sealing. Pressure cook on High for 30 minutes, then release the pressure.
Pull out the hocks. Stir in the potato chunks and the butternut squash squares.
Seal again and pressure cook on High for 5 minutes so the vegetables soften. Release.
While that runs, shred the hock meat and toss the skin and bones. Return the meat and the reserved chorizo to the pot.
Stir, taste, and salt at the very end. The hocks and chorizo both bring salt, so taste first.
Serg's Notes
The butternut squash is the move people miss. It half-melts into the broth and plays sweet against the smoke and the pork. Don't skip it.
Pulling the chorizo after it renders is what keeps it meaty. It flavors the base, takes a break, and comes back for the bowl.
Thickness control is simple: too thin, hit Sauté for a few minutes with the lid off. Too thick, splash in more stock. It should coat the spoon, not pour like water.
Serve it the right way: a mound of white rice dropped right in the middle of the bowl.
This is the way Abuela made it: sofrito, smoke, soul.
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