Sopa de Platano (Plantain Soup)

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Step 2

Add the garlic and cumin and cook for 1 minute, stirring almost constantly.

Step 3

Add the sliced plantains and give everything a good stir.

Step 4

Add the chicken broth and the bay leaf and stir well.

Step 5

Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil.

Step 6

Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook the soup for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The plantains should break apart when pressed with a wood spoon, if they do not; continue cooking for 10 minutes and check again.

Step 7

Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Step 8

Taste the soup and add salt if needed. As a reference we did not add any extra salt to ours.

Step 9

Process the soup with an immersion blender or potato masher, if desired. Don’t process all the way, leave the soup a little chunky.

Step 10

Garnish the soup with chopped cilantro (or parsley) and crushed plantain chips, if desired.