Peruvian Cheesy Potato Soup With Spicy Herb Sauce
Chuño, a small bright-white dried potato, adds a slightly earthy taste and chewy texture to this soup. If you cannot find chuños (they look like white pebbles), you can substitute russet potatoes, as detailed in the note here. In Peru, this soup is served with the chile-herb sauce called uchucuta, which adds sour and spicy notes to the broth.
- Total:
- Serves: 8 persons
Ingredients
- 4white chuños (dried potatoes), each about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter
- 3tablespoons olive oil
- 1large (6 to 7 ounces) onion, peeled and chopped
- 6to 7 large cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped fine
- 1large stick of celery, diced
- 2medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
- 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped very fine
- 8 ½to 10 cups water or unsalted chicken stock (if using salted stock, adjust salt in Step 2)
- 1 ¾pounds russet potatoes (2 to 4 potatoes, depending on size), peeled and cut roughly into 1-inch dice
- ½pound peeled pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into 1-inch dice
- 2 ¼teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 1tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
- 1tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
- 3tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 3tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
- 3tablespoons chopped basil leaves
- ¼pound feta cheese, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
- 3ounces spinach leaves, stems trimmed away and each leaf halved or quartered
- Uchucuta sauce, for serving (see recipe)
Instructions
Step 1
The evening before you cook the soup, wash the chuños and soak them in a large bowl of warm water, enough to cover it by several inches. Leave for 12 hours. Drain the chuños the next day, wash them off again and cut each potato into 8 to 10 parts. In a large pot, combine the chuño pieces with enough cold water to cover by several inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until the chuños are puffed up and softer, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.Step 2
Put the oil in a large pot (at least 6 quarts) and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the onion and garlic. Stir and cook for 3 minutes. Add the celery and carrot. Stir and cook 3 minutes. Add the ginger and stir a few times. Put in the drained chuños, 8 1/2 cups water or stock, the russet potatoes, pumpkin or squash, salt, herbs and feta. Bring to a boil, cover, turn heat to low and cook gently for 30 to 40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.Step 3
Add the spinach, stir and cook, covered, on low heat for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender but have not turned to mush. Check the salt. Thin the soup out with water or stock if it is too thick. It should be drinkable from the bowl.Step 4
Put 2 teaspoons of uchucuta sauce into each bowl of hot soup and stir it in. Add more if desired.