Pisca andina is a traditional Venezuelan breakfast dish, a simple cheesy potato soup with cilantro, usually served with arepas. It uses chicken stock, onions, garlic, coriander, milk, cheese, and potatoes, with optional bread, chives, red pepper, and egg. Cilantro is added at the end, and it’s often served in earthenware bowls.
A traditional Venezuelan breakfast dish, pisca andina is a type of simple cheesy potato soup that uses cilantro. Most common in the Andean mountain region, Andean pisca is said to offer a warming solution to chilly mornings. Usually simple to prepare, this soup generally uses few ingredients and is often served with arepas, a type of corn tortilla.
Andean pisca normally uses chicken stock or bouillon for its liquid base, but water may be used instead. Onions, garlic and coriander are added for the seasoning. The milk and cheese help make the soup creamy, and the potatoes add a full heart. More complex recipes will add toasted white bread, chives and red pepper. Occasionally, egg may be included as well.
Although the onions are usually diced or minced, the garlic in Andean pisca is always crushed. Mashing garlic can be done with a special utensil called a garlic press or simply with the back of a large spoon. Garlic must always be peeled before being crushed.
To make Andean pisca, potatoes are diced, placed in the broth, and simmered until soft. Then, the onions and garlic are sauteed, usually in butter, and added to the soup. Next, the soup is simmered and reduced, to help thicken and boost flavor. Once reduced, Andean pisca can no longer boil and milk and cheese are included. Salt, pepper and coriander are also usually added.
Some recipes may simply add all of the vegetables and herbs to the broth immediately, allowing everything to cook together. If eggs are included, they are added towards the end of the cooking process. The eggs are added carefully so they don’t break and are cooked whole in the bowls. One egg is usually added to each bowl.
If bread is used, it is usually cut into cubes. Once cut, the cubes are often toasted in butter. The chunks are then typically stirred into the soup with the milk and cheese.
Cilantro is always included in Andean pisca, usually to taste. Like milk and cheese, it is added at the end of the cooking process. While it is often mixed, it can also serve as a side dish and simply be placed on top of the soup once the Andean pisca is in individual bowls. Sour cream can also be used as a side dish. Andean pisca is often served in earthenware bowls because the improved heat retention helps keep the soup warm in the chilly morning air.
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