Who knows what Ecuadorian food consists of? I will be honest I had never even given Ecuador and its cuisine any thought until I saw this recipe. Tonight I am making Ecuadorian Potato Soup from Cooking Light.  I had no idea what spices were used, the type of cuisine the country was known for or even where exactly the country truly was...yeah geography just isn't my strong suit. But this recipe inspired me to look at a map, google annatto and order it on-line and look into the type of cuisine the country is known for.



What attracted me to this recipe was the avocado...love it, a spice I had never heard of-annatto, cilantro which I love and potatoes which truly make everything better. So let's start with where Ecuador is on a map...its ok you don't have to admit you are geographically challenged like I am and now I am saving you the embarrassment of asking...Ecuador is in South America between Colombia and Peru...oh and its on the ocean.

Ecuador has a variety of cuisines depending on the altitude of the location. In the mountain regions they are known for pork, chicken, beef and guinea pig (cuy). Sorry to offend anyone who has a guinea pig, loved the movie G-Force or works for the graffiti unit in Oxnard. But supposedly they are pretty tasty to eat...don't worry my soup recipe does not call for a guinea pig. Ecuador is also known for its consumption of rice, corn and potatoes. On the coast they eat a lot of seafood and they are also known for fresh fruits and plantains.

Now the spice that I had to research for this recipe is annatto. And actually I had to buy it online at www.myspicesage.com. This web page has everything and it's great because you can buy your spices in varying quantities. Speaking of which I bought 4 oz of annatto and I only needed 1 tsp so if anyone needs any please let me know. However, this web page is great as they send you a free spice sample with purchase, they have low cost shipping and you get your spice within days.

And in case you were wondering annatto is a spice derived from the seeds of the achiote tree. It has an earthy smell and a flavor similar to nutmeg but with a hint of pepper. It is red in color, resembling paprika or chile powder. It is used to color such things as Velveeta cheese. The fruit itself is not edible however the seeds are used to make spices and actually body paint in some areas of the world...I didn't try that tonight...although I did have a glass of wine I just wasn't tipsy enough to start paining my face...maybe next time.




Anyway back to the recipe. So start by sauteing onions in cooking spray. Add the cumin and annatto. Smells so good! Then add the chopped potatoes, cilantro, jalapeno and milk to the pot and bring to a boil. Once it boils turn it to a simmer for 35 min. Partially mash the potatoes and stir 1/4 cup potato mixture into the bowl of milk and egg yolk that you have sitting in the fridge. This was honestly the only confusing part of the recipe for me. It asks for a 2T milk and an egg yolk in a bowl and then it tells you to chill it. Then you add 1/4 cup potato mixture to the egg stuff and return it to the pan. However, it doesn't describe the purpose of all of this. Kind of left me thinking...hmm was this just a few extra steps to make the recipe seem less simplistic or is this some Ecuadorian soup tradition that I am not aware of or does it thicken the soup or WTH!

Anyway once this egg/milk mixture is returned to the pan you can simmer the soup for 5 minutes and serve it with luscious toppings-cilantro, jalapeno, avocado and hard boiled egg. Voila! This soup has a lot of great flavor...the jalapeno gives it a little spice, the avocado a creamy texture, the potatoes a nice starchy compliment and the cilantro and spices a nice earthy contrast. I did of course add extra salt...but thats just me.

• Cooking spray 
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground annatto
• 4 cups fat-free milk, divided 
• 1 large egg yolk 
• 4 cups (3-inch) cubed peeled baking potato (about 1 1/2 pounds) 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 small jalapeño pepper, chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 3 hard-cooked large eggs 
• 1/2 cup sliced peeled avocado 
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
• Hot pepper sauce (optional) 

Preparation

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in cumin and annatto; sauté 30 seconds.
2. Combine 2 tablespoons milk and egg yolk. Chill. Add remaining milk, potato, cilantro, and jalapeño to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Partially mash potato mixture with potato masher.
3. Stir 1/4 cup potato mixture into egg yolk mixture. Return potato mixture to pan; stir in salt and black pepper. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove egg yolk from 2 hard-cooked eggs; coarsely chop egg whites and whole hard-cooked egg. Ladle about 1 cup soup into each of 6 bowls; top each serving with 2 teaspoons chopped egg mixture, about 1 tablespoon avocado, 2 teaspoons cilantro, and 1/4 teaspoon jalapeño. Garnish each serving with hot pepper sauce, if desired.

This recipe is definitely worth making and if this recipe is any indication of what can be expected of Ecuadorian cuisine this lo-cal is definitely going in my bucket list...which is a good thing since I had to remove Kentucky from the list once I found out it is illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your back pocket...I did not make that up. Cheers!!