Warm soups for winter: 2 recipes from Don Pedrito

At this time of year, a hot soup is the best option for the palate. And if the recipes come from the hands of our beloved and emblematic ‘Don Pedrito’, much better. So to the rhythm of his classic ‘Cusi Cusá’, the local chef, who has just turned 75, shares with us two of his favorite recipes, and as always, on a low budget.

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Today in simple steps, you will learn how to prepare a fish and seafood aguadito, and a menestron soup that will help you raise your body temperature and you will be able to incorporate it into your family menu. Both dishes are very traditional of the gastronomy of Peru.

Aguadito of fish and seafood

Ingredients

• 4 heads of bonito fish
• Fish bones
• A piece of bonito fish or the fish of your choice
• 1/4 of kilo of seafood
• 1/4 of kilo of rice
• 3 yellow potatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 4 tablespoons ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons of ají panca
• 1 small pepper
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1 splash of wine or a splash of chica de jora
• Crumbled fresh cheese
• Salt, cumin and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Boil the fish heads and backbones in about 3 liters of water, with a pinch of salt. When it has parboiled, drain the broth. In that same broth, add the rice and yellow potatoes to cook.
2. Prepare a dressing with a drizzle of oil, diced onion, chunks of pepper, cumin, pepper, garlic and let it brown over low heat.
3. Then add the ají panca, the ground coriander and the peas. Let it cook over low heat for a few minutes. Time to add all the dressing to the broth where the potatoes and rice are cooked.
4. Once everything is cooked, rectify the salt, then add the pieces of fish, shellfish and crumbled fresh cheese. And as a final little secret for Don Pedrito, add a splash of wine or chicha de jora. Let it rest to serve.

menestrón

Ingredients

• 1/2 kilo of beef bones
• 1/4 of kilo of boiled meat (breast)
• 1/4 of kilo of pork skin
• 2 chopped pecans
• 2 cloves garlic ground
• 1 piece of bacon
• 1 piece of chalona
• 1/4 kilo of white potato
• 1/4 of kilo of yucca
• 1 corn
• Assortment of chopped vegetables (carrot, celery, pumpkin, pore, green peas, beans, lima beans)
• 1 piece of cabbage
• 1/4 of fresh bean
• 1/4 kilo of canuto or rigattone noodles
• 1 cup basil leaves
• 100 grams of fresh cheese
• Salt, pepper and cumin to taste
• Oregano

Preparation

1. Boil for about 30 minutes about 3 liters of water, the meat bones, and to reinforce the broth add pieces of meat, pork skin with a little salt, the chalona and a piece of bacon.
2. When the meats are cooked add the potatoes, yuca, and chopped corn, lima beans and fresh beans to cook.
3. Then add the cabbage in pieces with a little more salt, always testing, so that all the flavors merge together with the joint noodles, which you must incorporate into the preparation.
4. On the other hand, prepare a dressing with oil, garlic, onion, a pinch of salt, pepper and cumin. Let it fry.
5. Add to the dressing the ground spinach that has been previously blended with cheese, pecans and a splash of water.
6. You will add this dressing to the broth and therefore the assortment of vegetables, until they are cooked.
7. Remove the preparation from the heat, rectify the salt and serve with crumbled fresh cheese.