A Peruvian soup born from Italian minestrone and transformed into a generous green pot of beef, root vegetables, legumes, and macaroni. Basil, spinach, and cheese give it a thick, unmistakable character that makes stopping at one bowl difficult.
Turn what you find into an experience you can actually bring to your kitchen.
Dice the red onion and finely chop the celery. Check the beef short ribs for any loose bone fragments. Leave the remaining vegetables to prep while the meat pressure-cooks so the pot's cooking time works in your favor.
Reserve about 100 ml of the water for the green sauce. Heat a little more than half of the oil in the pressure cooker and brown the beef short ribs for 5 to 6 minutes, turning until well colored. Add half the red onion, half the garlic, and all the celery; cook for another 3 minutes. Pour in the remaining water, add three quarters of the salt, and all the black pepper. Seal the cooker and cook for 35 minutes once full pressure is reached; turn off the heat and let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes before opening safely. The beef should yield easily and the broth should taste concentrated.
While the beef cooks, peel and cut the cassava and potatoes into medium cubes; dice the carrot and squash, and cut the corn into rounds. Heat the remaining oil in a skillet, cook the remaining red onion and garlic for 3 minutes, add the spinach and cook for 1 minute; add the basil and remove from the heat as soon as it wilts. Blend everything with the fresh cheese and reserved water until thick and smooth.
With the cooker safely open, add the corn, cassava, and carrot and simmer uncovered for 6 minutes. Add the potato, squash, peas, and fresh fava beans, then cook for another 6 minutes. Stir in the macaroni and about two thirds of the green sauce; cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente, the root vegetables are tender, and the broth is thick but still easy to spoon.
Turn off the heat and stir in the remaining green sauce, the Parmesan, and the rest of the salt. Serve immediately, making sure each bowl gets beef and vegetables. If the broth is green, thick, and still full of recognizable pieces, it is right where it should be—the kind of pot that makes another ladleful hard to resist. Done! 🥘
