This soup was my favorite when I was young, and it still is. In my country, we call the root vegetables verduras or viandas, and the best part is that if you can’t find all the roots, you can make the soup with the ones you find, or even just one—green plantain, pumpkin or yautía—they are all perfect. This vegetable soup recipe is extremely healthy because I don’t use butter or cream as many people and restaurants unnecessarily do.
Read Related: Heritage Recipe: Abuelita’s Vegetable Cream Soup
VIANDAS SOUP (VEGETABLE SOUP) WITH BORICUA SOFRITI
Ingredients
2 c green plantain (1 plantain aprox.)
2 c “yautía”
2 c pumpkin
2 c “malanga” (taro)
2 c yam
8 c chicken broth
2 T of sofrito (see note below)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped cilantro (optional) for garnish
Instructions
- Peel and chop the viandas (roots) in equally sized pieces so they all cook well all at the same time.
- In a deep pot, combine the viandas and chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Once the soup has come to a boil, add the sofrito, stir well and cook 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer to a blender and in batches, if necessary, blend to a smooth consistency. If possible, a handheld blender is easiest.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the cilantro as a final touch.
- If you like, a drizzle of olive oil gives it an even more elegant touch.
Note: If you do not have sofrito, chop ¼ of a white onion and sauté in a bit of olive oil until transluscent. Add 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic, and continue to sauté until the garlic has softened. Transfer to a small bowl and mix in a bit more chopped cilantro to give even more flavor.
