Ecuadorian encebollado could be the cure to winter blues

This winter has been one for the books, what with the polar vortex and all, and it's times like these when you need a little more than coats, scarves and winter books to combat the bitter cold. Like Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” The Ecuadorian fish stew, “Encebollado," may just be what the doctor ordered. Just take a look at the warm, inviting gooiness. You can practically taste it, can't you? Great! We'll teach you how to whip it up for dinner (or supper) when the temperature takes a turn south.

Fish-Stew-z

A traditional dish in Ecuador, encebollado is well known for its healing properties. Suffering from a hangover? No problem - it is known to lift the dire distress that comes with alcoholic intake. This hearty stew is made up of onioned tuna and almost every root, legume and vegetable imaginable. It is a menagerie of healthy ingredients, poised to lift your spirits.

Here’s an easy-to-follow recipe from Epicurious:

Ingredients:

1 pound of yuca, peeled, cored, and cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch lengths
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 white onion, diced (about 1 cup)
4 plum tomatoes, diced
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 gallon of fish stock
1 1/2 pounds tuna, cut into 2-inch pieces
5 sprigs parsley, coarsely chopped
1 bunch cilantro, leaves coarsely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red onion, thinly sliced
6 limes, quartered
corn nuts

Preparation is as simple as can be

Place the yuca in a large stockpot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat and simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Don’t forget to remove from the stovetop and let cool down.

Heat the oil in a separate stockpot over high heat. Add the onion and half of the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and stock, then bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the tuna and yuca and cook for 5 minutes.

Stir in the parsley and cilantro, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Immediately ladle the soup into bowls. Float some of the red onion slices on the surface of each soup, and top with the remaining diced tomatoes. Squeeze lime juice over the onions and sprinkle the corn nuts over the onions and tomatoes. Serve with the remaining lime wedges on the side.

Ecuatorian-fish-soup