Ajiaco (Columbian Potato Soup)

In searching for a dish to serve at the Sous Chef's book club meeting (which featured a Columbian author this month), we discovered a delicious-sounding Columbian soup called Ajiaco. Normally served with chicken, we developed this vegetarian adaptation.  It's a wonderfully warming soup for winter.

Ingredients

Soup:

2 quarts homemade veggie stock (plus or minus - enough to just cover the potatoes)

1 large or 2 medium onions, medium-to-fine chop

4 bay leaves

2 pounds russet potatoes peeled and cut into rough 1-inch chunks

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, split into quarters lengthwise, then cut in half

1 pound Red potatoes, peeled, split into quarters lengthwise, then cut in half

3 Tbl. chopped parsley

1 ½ C. frozen corn (fresh is better but hard to find in winter)

 

Aji: 

3-4 green onions, finely minced (about 3/4 cup)

2 tablespoons finely minced cilantro

1 jalapeño chile, seeded and finely minced

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

   

Garnishes:

½ cup sour cream, thinned with 1 tablespoon milk

½ cup capers, rinsed, drained, and roughly chopped

1 ripe avocado, chopped

Procedures

Combine onion, bay leaves, potatoes, and parsley in a large saucepot or Dutch oven. Add enough stock to cover the solids by 1-inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are completely tender and falling apart, 20-40 minutes depending on the cut of the potatoes, adding more water as necessary. Discard onion and bay leaves. Using whisk, mash potato pieces against side of pot and stir vigorously to thicken soup. The soup should be thick, with large chunks of potatoes still remaining.

Add corn and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is heated and soup is thickened to the consistency of thick heavy cream, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While soup is cooking, make the aji: Combine green onions, cilantro, and jalapeño in small serving bowl and add water until just covered. Season generously with salt and stir to combine. Set aside.

Serve soup with chopped capers, sour cream, chopped avocado, and aji added at the table.

Adapted from:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/09/ajiaco-colombian-chicken-and-potato-soup-recipe.html

Chilled Cucumber Soup

This is a favorite for hot summer days and evenings.  So fresh tasting and easy to make, and best of all, no cooking required. 

2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 ripe avocado, coarsely chopped
1 bunch green onions (mostly white parts), chopped
1 bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 large handful cilantro (thick stems removed), chopped
1 C. veggie broth
2 C. plain nonfat yogurt
1 C. sour cream
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until well blended (you may need to do this in batches, depending on the capacity of your blender).  Chill several hours. 

Serve in chilled soup bowls, or as soup "shooters" with Gazpacho and Vichyssoise. This is also a wonderful companion to our Shrimp Quesadillas for a summer dinner.

Gazpacho

We love this recipe to take advantage of the bounty of tomatoes in our local farmstands.  Simple to make, this cool and spicy chilled soup is just the ticket for these hot summer days.

4 pounds ripe red tomatoes, cored, peeled, and coarsly chopped
2 red peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 red jalapenos, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 green onions, coarsely chopped
3 very thick slices fresh French bread, crusts removed and coarsely torn
1/3 C. good quality extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 Tbl. Allepo or 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tsp. sweet paprika
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste

Put olive oil into blender, followed by tomatoes, peppers, and remaining ingredients.  (You may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your blender).  Blend until very smooth.  Chill at least 4 hours.  For serving, garnish with one or more of the following:

• Freshly made croutons (cubed french bread sauteed in olive oil and salted to finish)
• Chopped cilantro
• Chopped green onions
• Diced avocados

Serves 6-8.  This will keep (in theory) 3-4 days, but trust us, it won't last that long!