Dried Cod Soup Recipe for Lent
Fanesca - a Creamy and Hearty Vegetarian Fish Soup from Ecuador
Fanesca, a pumpkin and fish based soup eaten during Lent in the South American country of Ecuador, combines assorted legumes and pumpkin for a satisfying meatless dinner.
Every Ecuadorian family has its own version of fanesca, a spring soup that is traditionally served in the forty days before Easter Sunday. Some family recipes call for rice, others for cabbage, and still some may omit the peanut sauce, or even the fish. The main ingredients, however, such as peas, corn, melloco (a typical tuber of the Andes), and beans are staples, and rarely vary. Made with ingredients that are abundant in the springtime, fanesca is sometimes called 'spring soup'.
Making this elaborate soup should be a family affair – some can peel the chochos (lupini beans), while others can fry the sweet plantains (maduros) and small dough balls for the garnish. To reduce the preparation time, the legumes can be cooked up to two or three days before, or canned vegetables can also be used.
If you don’t like the flavor of the cod, it may be omitted. Other ingredients, such as hominy (white corn), rice, lentils, and shredded cabbage can be added (pre-cooked).
Broth ingredients:
- 2 lbs. salted dried cod, soaked in water overnight (optional)
- 2 large white onions, finely chopped
- 2 tbs. cooking oil or butter
- 1 tbs annatto oil (achiote)
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 4 cups of pumpkin or winter squash, cooked until soft and reserving the cooking liquid
Soup additions:
- 2 cups each of the following, cooked and drained: corn, peas, fava beans (shelled) or lima beans, red beans, white beans, mellocos, chochos
- 1 cup peanut paste, mixed with a little milk (creamy peanut butter could be used)
- 2 liters of milk
Garnish:
- 1 cup parsely and/or table onion, finely chopped
- 2 green peppers, thinly sliced in rings
- 2 red peppers, thinly sliced in rings
- 3 hard boiled eggs, sliced
- 2 maduros (sweet plantains) cut and fried
- small fried balls of dough (made of flour, milk, salt and 1 egg)
- fresh farmer's cheese (cubed) (queso fresco)
- ½ pound of the reserved cod, shredded
Procedure:
- Cook the pumpkin in about 1 liter of water, until it is extremely tender when pierced by a fork. Mash it and set aside.
- Drain the fish well (if using), removing all excess liquid. Place in a saucepan and cover with fresh water. Cook until tender (about 15 minutes). Once cooked, drain (reserve the liquid) and shred into bite-sized pieces, removing any skin and bones. Reserve ½ pound for the garnish.
- Meanwhile, brown the onion in the oil and butter, adding the cumin and achiote (if using). Pour in one cup water and let boil. Next, add the fish and mashed pumpkin, as well as the water they were cooked in. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Add the legumes (corn, peas, fava (or lima) beans, red and white beans, mellocos, chochos), peanut sauce and milk. Simmer another 5-10 minutes.
- Serve the soup with a little bit of the garnish - for example, 2 slices of egg, 5-6 small fried dough balls, a ring each of red and green pepper, 3-4 cubes of cheese, 2-3 slices of maduro frito (fried sweet plantain) and a tablespoon of the cooked cod. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and table onion. Makes about 20 servings.
