Bananas.org - Traditional Ecuadorian Soup

This is a southern Ecuadorian specialty; a cream soup using green bananas or plantains (the latter is more authentic)

Repe Blanco

You need:

1 green banana per person you wish to serve
or (1 green plantain per every two people)
2 medium golden potatoes per person (or 1 large one per person)
Enough water to cover the potatoes
A pinch of salt
White beans*
A dash of cream (milk may be substituted)
about 1/4 pound of Quesito**
cilantro to garnish
avocado, peeled and halved (half an avocado per person)

To make it:

Peel and chop the potatoes and put them in a pot with the beans, then cover them with the water, and throw in the pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and skim off any scum that forms.

Peel and chop the bananas, and add them to the boiling potato-bean stuff. Allow this to scum up three times more, skimming the scum each time, or until the bananas are tender when poked with a fork.

Add the dash of cream and crumble in about half of the cheese. Stir well. Transfer to the blender, and pulse until it's thick and gooey, and most of the lumps have disappeared. Return to the pot and crumble in the rest of the cheese.

Serve hot, garnished with cilantro, and half an avocado floating on top.

* In Ecuador, this is fresh white beans. If you can't get these, the beans should be soaked in water to remove the lignins.

** Quesito is a type of fresh, crumbly cheese unique to the Andes. If you can't find it, Feta is a good substitute.

A note on peeling green bananas: the latex they exude can be irritating to your hands. It's best to wear rubber gloves, and peel under running water to avoid any problems.

Hope y'all enjoy this as much as I do! :2689: