Name: Caldo de cabeza
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 175 min
Total time: 200 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 1100 g cleaned lamb head pieces, butcher-split, food-grade, with bone (expect about 250–350 g edible cooked meat); 550 g cooked white mote maize, drained; 450 g yellow potatoes, peeled, halved; 1900 ml water, drinking-quality; 15 g dried ají mirasol, stemmed, left whole; 12 g garlic, lightly crushed; 15 g fresh mint, chopped at serving; 7 g salt; 2 g ground black pepper

Caldo de cabeza — Lamb-head broth with mote and yellow potatoes

Yield 4 generous servings

Prep 25 minutes

Cook 175 minutes

Passive 0 minutes

Total 200 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Caldo de cabeza — Lamb-head broth with mote and yellow potatoes

Caldo de cabeza is a substantial highland broth built from a lamb or sheep head. In Pasco, local descriptions name yellow potatoes, mote maize, ají mirasol and mint or paico. The head is simmered rather than quickly roasted, creating a meat-rich liquid in which soft maize and potatoes remain distinct.

For home preparation, ask a qualified butcher to clean, inspect and split the head into manageable pieces. This is not a job for a domestic knife or hatchet, and raw head must be treated like other raw meat. Only edible pieces are returned to the broth; the cook discards all bones, teeth and other inedible material.

Using already cooked mote avoids an overnight maize-processing task without changing the character of the finished soup. The potatoes enter late so they do not dissolve during the long lamb simmer. Aromatic mint is added at the end to preserve its fresh scent over the rich stock.

Ingredients

1100 g cleaned lamb head pieces, butcher-split, food-grade, with bone (expect about 250–350 g edible cooked meat)
550 g cooked white mote maize, drained
450 g yellow potatoes, peeled, halved
1900 ml water, drinking-quality
15 g dried ají mirasol, stemmed, left whole
12 g garlic, lightly crushed
15 g fresh mint, chopped at serving
7 g salt
2 g ground black pepper

Method

Prepare the lamb head safely.Place butcher-cleaned, split lamb head pieces in a deep pot; inspect the pieces and remove any visible loose splinters with clean tongs. Add 1900 ml water and garlic. All pieces fit beneath the liquid and there are no visible loose bone fragments. For food safety, purchase inspected meat; never split the head with household tools.
Simmer and skim.Bring the pot slowly to a boil, skim foam, then lower to a gentle covered simmer. Cook until the flesh loosens from the bones. The head meat pulls away without force and broth is fragrant rather than raw-smelling. For food safety, cook lamb meat to at least 63 °C with a 3-minute rest; prolonged simmer further tenderises it.
Debone and strain.Transfer the hot head pieces to a tray with tongs. When manageable, pull off the edible meat, discard all bone, teeth and inedible tissue; strain broth through a fine sieve into a clean pot. The returned meat has no hard fragments and the broth is free from grit. For food safety, inspect carefully for sharp bones before serving.
Simmer the vegetables.Add the drained mote, potatoes, whole dried ají mirasol, salt and pepper to the strained broth. Return the deboned meat and simmer until the potatoes are fully tender. A knife passes through the potatoes and the maize is hot throughout.
Finish with mint.Remove the whole ají mirasol if a mild broth is wanted; scatter mint over the soup and ladle it into four bowls. Mint remains bright and the meat and potatoes are distributed across bowls.

Practical

Success points

Have a butcher prepare the head, simmer until tender, and remove every bone before serving. The head must be professionally split, and every piece of bone and tooth removed before the broth is ladled.

Serving, storage and substitutions

A deep bowl should contain hot broth, soft mote, yellow potato and small pieces of lamb meat. The dried mirasol may be removed for a milder serving. Chill the strained broth and meat rapidly, within 2 hours, in shallow containers; refrigerate at 4 °C or colder and use within 3–4 days. Reheat leftovers to 74 °C. Paico is a regional herb sometimes used instead of mint, but its flavour is different; this recipe uses mint and does not treat the two as identical.

Control points

Cloudy brotha vigorous rolling boil dispersed proteins — next time maintain a quieter simmer and skim early.
Hard potato piecesadd further simmering time before serving rather than relying on the lamb cooking time.

Nutrition per serving (estimated)

Serving size1 of 4 servings
Calories495 kcal
Carbohydrates71 g
Protein30 g
Fat12 g
Fibre8 g
Sodium850 mg

Allergens and food safety

No major allergens inherent in the listed ingredients; check prepared mote for cross-contact. Use slaughterhouse-inspected, butcher-prepared head. Remove all bones and avoid spreading raw-meat juices.

Closing

A clear, hearty lamb-head broth with tender maize and yellow potatoes. Butcher preparation and meticulous deboning are essential for safe serving.

Caldo de cabeza — Lamb-head broth with mote and yellow potatoes

Ingredients

Ingredients

Method

Practical

Success points

Serving, storage and substitutions

Control points

Nutrition per serving (estimated)

Allergens and food safety

Closing

Peruvian National Dishes

Chairo puneño

Chaque arequipeño

Gamitana rellena