Fanesca: Ecuadorian Soup for Lent

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In Ecuador, we have a traditional dish called Fanesca that is only eaten during Lent and Easter. It represents the religious beliefs and a little of the history of my home country. While I didn’t grow up celebrating Lent, this highly elaborated dish helped me to appreciate its relevance in my Ecuadorian heritage.

I am impressed with the way Fanesca brings people in Ecuador together. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, this delicious stew is always on the table during Lent. According to historians, the Spanish introduced this healthy stew to the Inca as part of their religious traditions. The Inca not only embraced the dish but made it their own when they started adding fresh grains found in the Andean highlands.

Since I am not near the Andean highlands, I had to go “hunting” for all the grains that I need to make this dish. Luckily, I found everything we need for great prices in the produce area and the Hispanic aisle at Walmart. love that I can find a great variety of products and try new recipes, all in one place. In fact, I highly recommend to try Black Bean Salad by visiting select stores in Arizona, California, Florida or Texas in the coming up weeks!

The main ingredient of Fanesca is the fish. It’s usually bacalao or dried salt cod and needs to be soaked for at least a day. If you want your Fanesca to taste authentic and delicious, it’s also important to season it well. I used the 2.2 lb version of the Knorr® Tomato with Chicken Flavor Granulated Bouillon to give my dish an irresistible flavor.

But did you know that Knorr® Bouillon is perfect for many dishes? You can make pollo guisado, arroz con pollo, tamales, tacos, and many more. It adds authentic flavor to a traditional or to every day dish—beyond just soups, stews, and rice. With Knorr®, you don’t have to sacrifice on flavor by giving up meats or poultry! For more recipes and tips, visit Knorr.com or if you prefer Spanish, visit KnorrSabor.com

Fanesca

Yield: 8 people

Ingredients:

1 lb bacalao seco

1.2 tbs Knorr® Tomato with Chicken Flavor 2.2 lb (Granulated Bouillon)

1/2 cup shredded cabbage

3 cups of diced zucchini

3 cups of diced butternut squash

2 cups of corn kernels

2 cups of cooked rice

1 cup of green peas

1 cup of lima beans

2 cups of fava beans

1 cup of butter beans

1 cup of black eye peas

1/2 cup of diced white onion

1/2 cup of diced red onion

6 cups of milk

6 oz of cream cheese

bunch of parsley

1 cup os roasted peanuts

4 tbs butte

5 garlic cloves

1/2 tbs of oregano, annatto powder and ground pepper

Slat and pepper to taste

Steps:

Place in a blender cooked butternut squash and zucchini till it makes a puree. Then add the cooked cabbage.
Heat the butter and add diced onions, garlic, achiote, pepper, oregano and Knorr® Bouillon and mix it with butternut and zucchini puree. Add the cooked rice to the mix.
Add 3 cups of milk with all the beans and corn. Stir well and add cooked fish that has been previously seasoned with Knorr®
Mix the soup with a roasted peanuts puree (peanuts blended with 3 cups of milk)
After 10 minutes, add paisley and serve Fanesca with avocado slices, fried ripe plantains and hardboiled eggs slices.

Remember to add the rich authentic Latino flavor of Knorr® to all of your dishes with this Ibotta offer.