Sopa de Res, Nicaraguan-style Soup

Sit large pot on stove on medium heat.  Add:

3 packs of neck bone meat

Add water until about 3 inches above meat.

1 large onion, cut in half

1 small green pepper

5 cloves of garlic

Salt & black pepper

Cover and let sit until soup is boiling and you can smell it.  Clean and cut veggies while you wait.

2 whole carrots, cut

1/2 a jalapeño [take out half the seeds]

2 large potatoes, peeled & sliced

2 Quequiste [or whatever it's called in English]

1/4 portion of summer squash [ayote]

3 small yellow squash, sliced

6 pre-cut slices of corn

1 small cabbage, sliced

2 teaspoons of achote [latin american pepper]

-->to room temperature.  If dried, add water to dissolve

1 tomato, hand squeezed

1/2 bag of silantro/culantro, kept whole

Juice of 3 squeezed key limes [remove seeds]

-->the smaller, the juicier

1 ripe plantain, sliced in 3

Cover and continue to cook until you can smell the soup.  About 2 hours total.

Finished Product:

A note from Mom--you can put anything in this soup.  If you want celery, add celery.  Also, she doesn't usually measure stuff so go with your best judgement and try new things. :]