Featured recipe

Pisca andina

Potato, egg and cheese breakfast broth

On cold mornings in Mérida, roadside cafés on the way up to the páramo serve pisca: a pale broth of potato, spring onion and coriander, enriched with milk, with an egg poached in each bowl and cubes of fresh white cheese melting at the bottom. Andean families eat it with a wheat arepa to dip. This version is meat-free; many homes start from chicken stock. Fresh white cheese is often set with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian one if needed. The mistake to avoid is boiling hard once the milk goes in, which makes the broth split. Chef's tip: put the cheese in the empty bowls and ladle the hot soup over it, so it softens without turning stringy.

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30 min

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