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25
Crema de Aguacate Sopa
Creamy Avocado Soup
Makes 6 servings
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
7
cups chicken stock
4
soft avocados,
2
teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Rouses salt and black pepper to taste
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
HOW TO PREP
In a blender or food processor, pulse 1 cup of chicken stock with the
avocados to make a purée.
In a separate soup pot, heat the remaining chicken stock over medium
heat until it comes to a boil. Turn the heat down to low.
Temper the avocado mixture by slowly introducing the hot broth into
the blender a scoop at a time. Transfer the warm avocado from the
blender to the soup pot. Stir combine. Add the lemon juice and season
with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Tasty Streets
To be sure, the real culinary treasures in Ecuador are what’s sold on
the street.
Panaderías
or bakeries seem to sit on every block offering
freshly baked savory bread (
pan de sal
) or sweet bread (
pan de dulce
).
The sweet ones come with cheese fillings (kind of like King Cake)
or sometimes guava jam.
Humitas
look like tamales but are so much more. They are made
of ground corn that is mixed with eggs, cheese and butter. Humita
vendors wrap the soufflé-like tubes in banana leaves, which keep
them moist and warm.
Many sidewalk vendors also serve
hornado
(pork pulled off a roasted
pig). This usually comes with a little piece of crispy pig skin (don’t
mind the hair) and mote, large white corn-like kernels similar to
hominy.
Llapingachos
are thick, crusty potato pancakes stuffed with cheese —
usually a side dish along with homemade potato or plantain chips.
While in Cuenca (a colonial city, 8,000-feet above sea level with
lively street life and beautifully preserved architecture), we discovered
a tiny doorway that led to one of the best-tasting
sándwich de pernil
spots in the country. Served in miniature buns, a lady behind a simple
counter would slice off pork so tender you wondered why you ever
messed with a guinea pig. This was no signature dish. This was the
only dish served at this tiny paradise.Three sandwiches with a bottle
of Pilsener beer (a national brew), and you may never come home.
Taking it Home
When I did return home, one of the things I realized immediately is
what one could describe as the Galapagos affect. While vegetables
and fruits in Ecuador come in many shapes and forms, the common
Ecuadorian variety often is found nowhere else.That makes recipes
a challenge when you’re back at home.This is especially true of the
soup. Ecuador should be the world capital of soup.The day’s biggest
meal, which typically is
almuerzo
or lunch, consists of a delicious
soup, an entrée (meat with some sort of rice or mote) and a dessert
(usually fruit).
Topping the list is
locro de papas
, a simple potato soup, but it requires
a certain type of Ecuadorian potato. The soup is garnished with
slabs of avocado. What, you may ask, is avocado doing in soup?
Sounds strange but I read later in a cookbook that the avocado
actually cools the soup to a temperature that is best for tasting the
subtleties of food.
Thankfully, another favorite soup we came across requires neither
native potatoes nor rooster feet. It’s a hot (yes hot) soup called
Crema de Aguacate
that calls for only four
ingredients: chicken stock, avocados, lemon
juice and fresh cilantro. Heat it up slowly
and you can taste a little bit of friendship
— no feet required.
GET MOJO FOR YOUR MONEY
Look for Latin American sauces,
seasonings, beans, flours, oils, and
canned vegetables on our International
aisles. Nobody on the Gulf Coast sells
more for less!
ECUADOR