If you’ve never had locro de papas, you’re in for a surprise. The fine people of Ecuador love this comforting and healthy soup, especially on a chilly day. And why not? Tinged orange from ground annato, most of the flavors remain familiar – potato, cheese, avocado, and cilantro. Feel free to substitute parsley if you hate cilantro. Just so long as you try this soup. You’ll love it.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 1 gallon | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 20 minutes |
|
|
|
|
If you’ve never had locro de papas, you’re in for a surprise. The fine people of Ecuador love this comforting and healthy soup, especially on a chilly day. And why not? Tinged orange from ground annato, most of the flavors remain familiar – potato, cheese, avocado, and cilantro. Feel free to substitute parsley if you hate cilantro. Just so long as you try this soup. You’ll love it.
|
Ingredients
- 1 onion , chopped
- vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic , crushed
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground annato
- 3 giant russet potatoes , peeled & cubed (each about 6″ long)
- 2 cups milk
- water , to cover the potatoes
- 1-3 cups milk , to cover the potatoes
- salt
- pepper
- 1 cup monterey jack (shredded) – cheddar may be substituted
- palmful fresh cilantro , chopped
For the garnish:
- fresh cilantro , chopped
- queso blanco , crumbled
- 1-2 avocado , cubed
- green onions , sliced
Servings: gallon
Units:
Instructions
- First, cook the chopped onions in a large pot with vegetable oil until softened. Add garlic, cumin, and annato.
- Next, cube up the potatoes and add to the pot. Size doesn’t matter because they’ll be pureed. Just remember, the larger you cut them, the longer they’ll take to cook.
- Add 2 cups of milk and cover with water.
- Simmer until the potatoes are cooked through – 15 to 20 minutes. Then puree with extra milk, salt and pepper. I used my handy, dandy immersion blender. You could also use a plain old blender, but you’ll probably have to do it in a few batches. Add enough milk to thin out the soup – it should pour out of the ladle – no plopping soup allowed.
- You’re almost done! Stir in chopped cilantro and shredded cheese.
- Top with the most wonderful combination of queso blanco, avocado, green onion, and cilantro.