Caldo verde cajamarquino

Prepare the greens.Strip the measured paico, huacatay, parsley and cilantro leaves from tough stalks. Rinse under running water, drain thoroughly and chop coarsely; keep the herbs separate from raw eggs. There are no gritty stems or visible soil particles, and the leaves smell fresh. Wash leaves thoroughly; paico should be a culinary food product, not concentrated oil.

Start the onion base.In a heavy soup pot heat all 20 ml oil over medium heat. Add all 140 g onion and cook 7 minutes, stirring until soft but not brown. The slices are translucent and bend easily.

Simmer the potatoes.Add all 900 g cubed potatoes and 1500 ml water, then 5 g salt and 1 g pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 22 minutes until the potato is tender without dissolving. A fork goes through a potato cube readily and the broth has begun to cloud slightly.

Grind the aromatic herbs.While the potatoes simmer, grind all the prepared leaves with a ladle of hot broth using a mortar or blender. Return any borrowed broth to the soup with the herbs so the water allocation does not change. The leaves make a vivid, finely chopped green paste without coarse stalks. Vent a blender if using hot liquid, and avoid splashes.

Cook the egg through.Pour all three beaten eggs in a thin stream into the simmering soup and stir gently. Continue heating 4 minutes until visible egg strands have set, not just changed colour; check a representative egg mass reaches 71 °C. The egg forms fully set ribbons without liquid egg streaks and measures at least 71 °C. Cook egg mixture thoroughly; use a clean spoon.

Fold in herbs and cheese.Stir the ground herbs into the soup, simmer for a further 2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Scatter all 200 g fresh cheese through six hot bowls and ladle the soup over it. The broth is green and aromatic, potato pieces retain shape, and cheese softens without disappearing. Use pasteurised cheese, and serve the soup hot.