#53 Ecuador

Oh man, I have been looking forward to Ecuador rolling around in the alphabet since Christmas 2021, when I received the book Gastro Obscura as a gift. One of the dishes described and pictured in that book is this soup, called Fanesca. The soup itself is delicious: it’s a purée of veggies and rice, mixed with a milk soaked in bacalao (salted, dried cod), several different kinds of beans, legumes, peas, and corn. But when you list all of the things traditionally served on top of the Fanesca, it gets outrageous: fresh queso, lime-pickled onions, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, hot peppers, fried bacalao, cilantro, fried ripe plantains, and tiny cheese empanadas.

The soup is apparently traditionally served for Easter, with the 12 different legumes representing the 12 disciples, and the bacalao representing the body of Christ. I’m not sure what cheese empanadas are if you extend this metaphor, but they were delicious.

Our friend Ellen was visiting from New York this weekend, so she joined us for Ecuador night, and she also raves about Fanesca. This was the 10th time we have cooked with others in this project.