Locro de papa

We had a group cooking lesson at the Yanapuma Spanish School. We learned to make locro de papa, a traditional Ecuadorian potato-based soup with queso fresco and avocado.

The recipe seems to be slightly different everywhere, and amounts below are “to taste” – no measuring spoons here!

The result is a thick, filling soup. We’ve had locro de papa in several places, and it’s always been tasty. We’ll have to try to make it again in the future!

Ingredients:

• Potatoes (red, though other varieties are fine. Smoother is better)
• Queso fresco
• Green onions
• Cilantro
• Vegetable oil
• Achiote (annatto) – as a colorant

Preparation:

• Peel, cut into cubes, and boil potatoes
• Crumble queso fresco
• Chop green onions and cilantro (leaves only)
• Cut avocados into wedges
• Sauté some of the onions, cilantro, salt in vegetable oil with achiote
• Pour several cups of water into the sautéed onions; simmer. More water leads to a thinner broth; use less water for a thicker broth.
• Put the cooked potatoes into onion mix; bring to boil. Cook 25mins. Mash some but not all of the potatoes in the pot; leave some as chunks
• Serve with crumbled cheese, avocado wedges, extra cilantro and onions