Name: Fanesca (Ecuadorean Lenten Chowder)
Cook time: 1 hr
Total time: 2 hr
Yield: Makes about 16 cups (serving 8 as a main course)
Ingredients: 1 lb skinless boneless salt cod; 1 tablespoon achiote (annatto) seeds; 1/4 cup vegetable oil; 4 large garlic cloves, minced; 4 scallions, finely chopped; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 8 cups water; 1 1/4 lb queso blanco or French feta, cut into 3/4-inch cubes; 1/4 cup lentils; 1 lb carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 4 ears corn, shucked; 1/2 lb snow peas or green beans, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 lb zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 (1-lb) piece calabaza or butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 (1-lb) piece green cabbage, coarsely chopped; 1 (10-oz) package frozen baby lima beans; 1 (10-oz) package frozen baby peas; 5 cups whole milk, heated; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 1/2 cups canned beans, rinsed and drained; 1/2 cup drained canned hominy; 1 (4-inch) piece canned heart of palm, sliced 1/4 inch thick; Accompaniments: quartered hard-boiled eggs and avocado slices

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Fanesca (Ecuadorean Lenten Chowder)Brian Doben

FANESCA

Maricel Presilla, chef-owner of the restaurant Zafra in Hoboken, New Jersey, first offered fanesca — a more elaborate rendition of the streamlined dish here — during Holy Week. Now it's one of the restaurant's most popular weekend specials year-round. Traditional accompaniments include bolitas de harina (flour fritters), fried plantains, and bottled hot sauce.

Cooks' notes:

·The combination of beans Maricel Presilla suggested — and we liked — was chickpeas, small white beans, cranberry or small kidney beans, and canary or pinto beans. ·We kept this chowder warm for a half hour one day, and the fish flaked apart in the soup before we could take it out in a whole piece. We loved the fanesca this way, too.

Recipe notes

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