Sopita de arepa is another traditional Colombian soup and one of my favorites. It hits the body and soul. For this recipe you have to use a specific texture of arepas. I use the veggie arepas we make at The Beneficial Bakery ( @thebeneficialbakery ) but you can also use corn arepas that you can find in Latin markets. You cannot use arepas made with masarepa or precooked corn meal. Trust me, I tried, and the soup was not as it should be. This soup is simple, delicious, and easy to make. Enjoy!

Serves 4

7 cups stock (vegetable or chicken )
2 large potatoes peeled and diced
1 cup hogao – see below
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
3 arepas cut into pieces
½ cup fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped

How to:

In a medium pot place the stock, potatoes, cumin and hogao. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender. About 25 to 30 minutes.

Add the arepa pieces and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4 minutes more. Add the fresh cilantro and serve.

Hogao

Hogao is one of the most traditional Colombian seasoning sauces. We use Hogao as a base for many typical Colombian dishes or just as a dipping sauce for plantains, veggies, or as a topping for arepas. I keep it refrigerated for up to 1 week or freeze in ice cube tray for a few months.

I prepare this Hogao the way I can remember my biological mother doing.

Makes 2 cups

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped scallions
1 clove garlic minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups diced tomato

How to:

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the tomatoes, scallions, garlic, ground cumin and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring until softened.

Reduce the heat to low, add the salt and, cook for 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened. Check and adjust the seasoning.