Chupe Verde
(Green Soup)
Contributed by Rosa Carhuallanqui
Behind the Dish
Chupe Verde, or “Green Soup,” comes from the Peruvian Andes and is thought to have originated from the Incan period. It is enjoyed for breakfast or for lunch and is considered especially good for strength and health. (Chupe is the word for “soup” in Quechua, a language spoken in the Andean region.) Rosa’s family made Chupe Verde with herbs from their garden and their own chickens. Rosa often serves Chupe Verde with a bowl of popcorn on the table – just as when her family had popcorn or toasted corn nuts from plants that they grew themselves.
Ingredients
Makes four servings.
About 1/4 of a pound of chicken breast with bone, skin removed
Leaves from 8 – 10 stems parsley Leaves from 3 branches of oregano
Four spinach leaves
(For the soup to have a green color, add more parsley.)
Five cloves of garlic
One lb. of potatoes (about 3 medium size, preferably the pink variety)
About ½ cup of soft, white cheese
Four eggs
Instructions
Cover the chicken in a pot of water, add some celery, oregano and salt and simmer for about 25 – 30 minutes.
Wash the parsley, oregano and spinach leaves and blend them with 3 cloves of garlic in 1 cup of water. Set this mixture aside.
Remove the cooked chicken and vegetables from the water and strain the water. (For what to do with the extra chicken, Rosa suggests shredding it to make a sandwich for another time. For a filling she mixes shredded chicken with yogurt and either chopped apple or finely chopped celery.)
Peel and then grate the potatoes and add them to the water used for the chicken. Simmer this potato/water mixture for 8 – 9 minutes or until the potatoes are done.
Carefully break the eggs into potato water, one at a time.
Wait for water to come to a boil, turn off the heat and the soup is ready to serve. (Alternately, continue simmering the water until the eggs are done.) The eggs should be sunny side up and a bit soft.
Add the herb mixture to the pot before serving or serve the herb mixture at the table.
Sprinkle crumbled cheese on top.