Susan Vafiades-Diaz lives next door to where we we rented on summer in Southwest Harbor, Maine. One day Susan, whom we hadn’t met, invited us to lunch through our downstairs friends, Bernie and Marie Mauger. She served this soup.

Susan wrote, when she emailed me the recipe: “I ate a soup that I loved while in Colombia. This was my attempt to imitate it without a recipe. Since, I have located recipes for Ajiaco Bogotano.”

The following recipe is Susan’s version of the Spanish soup, Ajiaco Bogotano. The addition of the capers and avocado to the soup just before eating elevates the soup from wonderful to out of this world.

 

Susan's Ajiaco Bogotano

Step one:

chicken (either boneless skinless breasts or thighs or a whole chicken).
ingredients to poach chicken: onions, celery, carrots, garlic, etc.
For additional flavor, you can add any herbs (ie: thyme)to broth OR some chicken bouillon cubes.

1. Cook chicken, vegetables and herbs, and save broth.
2. YouRemove chicken from broth and, if needed, remove bone and skin. Cut into generous cubes.

Step two:

peeled white potatoes – some smaller pieces and some larger that won’t disintegrate
peeled yams or sweet potatoes
one medium butternut squash, peeled and chunked
cumin and pepper to taste; salt IF no chicken bouillon was used.

Add the above to cooked chicken broth and any veggies (celery, etc.) used in original broth. Cook until potatoes and squash are done.

Step three:

1. Remove bigger pieces of potato and save.
2. Purée remaining broth and cooked vegetables.
3. Add cubed chicken and pieces of potatoes to puréed broth. If desired, add some half-and-half for a cream-based soup.

Serve with capers and avocado slices for guests to add to the soup themselves just before eating.