Potato and Chicken Stew (Ajiaco)

Instructions

Put the chicken, broth, onion, scallions, carrots, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, cumin, cilantro and peppercorns in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Skim off the froth as it rises, then cover and turn the heat to low once the frothing stops.

Lift out the chicken when it is cooked through, about 20 minutes, and set it aside. Strain the broth through a sieve back into the pot, keeping the carrots, and bring it to a boil again over medium heat.

Stir in the tomato paste and the yellow and purple potatoes. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.

Meanwhile, boil the sliced mashing potatoes in the water with the beef bouillon in a separate pot. Once boiling, drop to medium heat and cook about 30 minutes, until the slices begin to fall apart.

Drain these potatoes, set a quarter of the slices aside, and mash the rest. Stir both the mashed and sliced potatoes into the soup.

Discard the skin and bones from the chicken and cut the meat into strips about 1 cm wide and 3 cm long. Add the chicken and peas to the soup and simmer for 5 minutes.

Slice the reserved carrots into rounds 0.5 cm thick and return them to the pot. Season with salt to taste. If the soup is too thick, add boiling water in small amounts until it has the consistency of heavy cream, and remember it will thicken as it cools.

Serve hot, with the corn, cream mixture, avocado, chopped cilantro and capers on the side as garnishes.