by Genevieve Rajewski
Yesterday was one of those trying days. It started with frustrating delays on the Orange Line and ended with the wind blowing a frigid mist sideways under the overhang at Oak Grove—soaking me and everyone else waiting for the bus.
Unsurprisingly, I was in no mood to go running or otherwise set foot outside once I got home. So Nate and I threw open the doors of our freezer and fridge to try to cobble something together for dinner. We both expected this to end with us ordering in, as we’d done our grocery shopping in the sunny mindset of a 65-degree day (cold salads and the like).
Then the food gods smiled on us. In our freezer, where no edible food lives (except for Trader Joe’s pizzas), sat a big tupperware container of shrimp soup. The Bolivian side of Nate’s family had gathered at our house for their traditional Good Friday dinner, and apparently the leftovers were generously left behind.
The Quiroga family recipe, which I have yet to size down, follows below. This time of year it’s hardly local for New England. Nor is it local in Bolivia, as far as I can tell—it being a landlocked country. Bolivia lost its Pacific Ocean access to Chile in the 19th century. Still, the country maintains a navy in hopes of one day getting its slice of coast back. (And I think if the powers-that-be in Chile tasted this soup, they’d hand it right over.)
With dropped eggs and potatoes, this hearty soup is just the thing when New England weather turns raw on you. I’ll report later on the soup’s origins/family history (the top photo offers a hint) and how it tastes made with fresh eggs from Chestnut Farm.
Abuelita’s Good Friday Shrimp Soup
Courtesy of Irma Quiroga and Elvira Johnson
Serves 12
Chop:
6 stalks celery 3 large onions (about 4-5 cups) 1 large green pepper
Add:
1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 can tomato paste 1 tsp red ají (or substitute chili powder) 3 bay leaves ½ teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon dry oregano 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper 2 quarts boiling water
Add:
1 ½ cups long-grain rice 2 quarts boiling water
6 medium potatoes, cubed into bite-size pieces 8 large carrots, cubed into bite-size pieces
Add:
6 slices mozzarella cheese, cut into fourths 1 ½ cups of milk 2lbs peeled shrimp 2 quarts boiling water 1lb green peas
Slowly drop 12 eggs in around the edges of the pot. Turn off heat. Eggs are done when soup starts to foam slightly.
Serve one egg in each deep soup bowl, add soup, and garnish with chopped parsley.
Top photo (cc) courtsey of CoreyPud on Flickr; Bottom photo (cc) courtesy of colbalt123 on Flickr.
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