Sopa de Papas

While in grad school, as newlyweds, we enjoyed a strong community within my husband’s food science department. Soon we were enjoying weekly lunches, taking turns cooking for each other. Giovana, who ran the sensory lab, was from Honduras and this recipe is inspired by her delicious soup I ate over 20 years ago.

The fresh cilantro boiled with the potatoes is key, and while her recipe initially called for half a green pepper, I didn’t feel like driving to the grocery store so I used 1/4 yellow bell and 1 pasilla bajio. It worked great. I think the vegetal flavors of an unripe green pepper are critical, and if you like it hot, skip the bells altogether. I’m thinking a hatch would be delicious too in this recipe.

Basically, it’s your choice on the pepper, but if you want to be traditional, go for 1/2 green bell pepper.

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Sopa de Papas

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Ingredients

• 3 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 4 T butter
• I bunch cilantro stems, bundled

For Blender

• 1 medium onion (about ¾ cup)
• ½ green bell (or sub) – I used ¼ yellow and I pasilla bajio, what was on-hand
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ½ tsp cumin
• Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Peel potatoes and just cover with chicken broth (or broth of your choice). You may need more broth – I like my soups really thick, so adjust to your liking (you can also add more broth at the end if it’s too thick). Tip: the smaller you dice your potatoes, the faster they will cook.
2. While potatoes are cooking, chop onion and peppers and place into a blender (we love our vitamix we bought refurbished in 2015). Add milk, 1 cup broth, and cumin and blend until well pureed.
3. When potatoes are good and soft, mash with a potato masher or hand mixer. (Do not blend potatoes in a blender as they will become elastic. It’s cool, but trust me, the texture is all wrong; I’ve done it more than once.)
4. Add the pureed ingredients and cook for 5-10 minutes until thickened.
5. Salt to taste.

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