10/04/2022
This is a traditional Recipe for fanesca, an Ecuadorian soup made only during Easter. This soup is made with salted cod, squash, fava beans, lupins, corn, peas, fresh beans, rice, onions, garlic, cumin, annatto seeds, peanuts, milk, cream and cheese.
Ingredients
2 pounds of dried salted cod
6 cups of diced fresh squash, about 2 ½ pounds
6 cups of diced squash
2 cups of shredded cabbage
4 cups of cooked and peeled fava beans
4 cups of cooked corn kernels
3 cups of cooked green peas
2 cups of cooked lima beans
2 cups of cooked cannellini beans
2 cups of lupin beans, peeled
2 cups of cooked rice (cooked in abundant water and very tender)
8 tbs butter
1 tsp of annatto powder
1 cup of diced white onion
1 cup of diced red onion
10 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbs of ground cumin
1 tbs of dry oregano
1 tsp of ground pepper
2 cups of roasted peanuts
12 cups of milk
1 cup of heavy cream
12 oz of cream cheese
1 cup of feta cheese
½ bunch of cilantro or parsley, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Serve with:
Hardboiled egg slices
Fried ripe plantains
Empanadas de viento or Ecuadorian fried cheese empanadas
Hot peppers slices
hot sauce
white onions marinated in lime juice
fresh cheese slices
Instructions
Soak the salted cod in water for 24 hours, changing the water every 6-8 hours, each time the water should be less and less salty, at the end cut the cod into medium sized pieces (if it doesn’t come already cut).
Cook the diced butternut squash separately, with barely enough water to cover them, cook until they are very tender, drain the water and place them in a blender and make a puree.
Boil the shredded cabbage with a small amount of water for about 3 minutes, drain and add the cabbage to the squash puree.
In a large stock pot or soup pot, heat the butter over medium heat to make a base for the soup, add the onions, garlic, annatto, cumin, oregano and pepper and cook until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the cooked rice to the refried onions and herbs and mash it into the refried with a potato masher to make a thick sauce or puree.
Add the squash and cabbage puree and mix well.
Add 4 cups of milk and the fava beans, corn, green peas, lima beans and cannellini beans, stir in well and let simmer for about 15 minutes, stir frequently to avoid the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Meanwhile bring 6 cups of milk to boil, add the soaked and desalted cod, and boil for about 10 minutes.
Add the milk and cod to the soup then strain the milk and add only the milk to the soup, reserve the fish, fry it in oil until browned on each side and serve on the side or place a piece of the fried cod in each individual soup bowl.
At this point you want to taste the soup and add salt if needed, how much you need will depend on whether you add the salt cod to the soup or not (as well as how well you soaked and rinsed the cod).
Blend the roasted peanuts with 2 cups of milk, add this to the soup, and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
About 5 to 10 minutes before serving, add the lupini beans, the heavy cream and the cheese, stir to help the cheese dissolve.
Add the chopped cilantro or parsley and stir well. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
Serve with the pieces of fried salt cod (unless they were already added to the soup), hardboiled egg slices, lime marinated white onions, fried ripe plantains, slices of fresh cheese, fried cheese empanadas and Ecuadorian hot sauce or slices of hot peppers. These can be added on top of the soup or on the side.
