My Venezuelan sister-in-law, who has been staying with us (and suffering in the cold weather) showed me this hearty breakfast soup which comes from Merida, the mountainous region of Northwest Venezuela.
The Merida region is cold, windy and austere, so inhabitants like to start their day with, of all things, a bowl of soup. (This is not as uncommon as you might think. A traditional Japanese breakfast often begins with a bowl of broth.)
My sister-in-law made this soup a few weeks ago, on the day we had the blizzard that dropped about eight inches of snow on Denver. I was skeptical at first, but after spending an hour shoveling our walk, it seemed liked the best thing in the world.
This soup is made with the nourishing combination of potatoes, poached eggs and gooey string cheese. You sweat the potatoes with some onion, add the broth, simmer the eggs in the broth and finish the soup with some chives and cilantro. The broth is ladled over the cheese which, like mozzarella, immediately turns to the consistency of warm taffy.
The traditional recipe calls for the addition of milk or half-and-half. I find the soup rich enough as it is, so I’m going to make adding extra dairy an option. Also, contrary to the stereotype that all South Americans like their food with a ton of chiles, most Venezuelans (and all my in-laws) don’t like spicy food, so I’ve made adding a little hot sauce optional as well.
Note: Oaxaca cheese (a Mexican string cheese) can be purchased at grocery stores.
Andean Breakfast Soup
Makes about 6 cups
Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
1 large Yukon Gold potato, cut into ¼-inch dice
4 cups rich chicken broth
1 cup Oaxaca cheese
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon roughly chopped chives
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Optional: few shots hot sauce
¼ cup half-and-half
Directions
In a 2-quart heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter over low heat. Sweat the onions and potato just until tender, about 12-15 minutes. Add a pinch of salt.
Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce by about one-quarter. Season with salt and pepper.
Carefully break each egg into small individual dishes.
With the broth still at a vigorous simmer, slide each egg into the broth. Simmer the eggs in the soup just until the eggs are set but still runny, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the chives and cilantro and add the hot sauce and half-and-half if you choose to.
Meanwhile, divide the Oaxaca cheese among 4 warm bowls. With a slotted spoon, carefully remove each egg and place one egg in each bowl. Ladle some of the soup into each bowl. Serve immediately.
