Aji, a Colombian hot sauce, is traditionally made with chiles that haven’t been seeded, but you’ll probably find it plenty spicy without the seeds. The soup and aji can be made a day ahead. If the soup is too thick after it’s reheated, thin itMwith water

SERVES 8

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SOUP:

• 3 lb. cut-up chicken, skin removed
• 1 large white onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 leek (white and light green parts), cut into 1-inch rings, rinsed thoroughly
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 ears fresh corn, cut into quarters
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3/4 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3/4 lb. Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3/4 lb. small red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THR AJI:

• 4 scallions (white and light green parts)
• 1 medium tomato, peeled and seeded
• 1 small white onion, peeled
• 2 fresh Scotch bonnet or habanero chiles or 2 fresh hot red chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 3 Tbs. fresh cilantro leaves
• 3 Tbs. white vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

FOR THE GARNISHES:

• 2 ripe avocados, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup sour cream or crème fraîche
• 1/2 cup nonpareil or other small capers (or large capers, coarsely chopped), rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR MAKING THE SOUP:

1. Put the chicken in a large stockpot and add 8 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to a vigorous simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, frequently skimming off the foam that floats to the surface.
2. Add all the vegetables, garlic, cilantro, and bouillon cubes, along with 1 Tbs. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Stir a few times and submerge as many of the solids as possible. When the broth returns to a gentle boil, partially cover the pot and simmer, stirring once or twice, for 1 1/2 hours. Taste for salt.
3. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces to a large plate. Stir the soup with a large spoon, breaking up some of the potatoes to thicken the soup slightly. Keep hot if serving soon or let cool and refrigerate.
4. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones and shred it by hand. Discard the bones and tendons, and put the shredded chicken in a serving bowl.

FOR MAKING THE AJI:

1. In a food processor, pulse all the aji ingredients until finely minced. Transfer to a serving bowl.

FOR SERVING AJIACO:

1. Put the avocados, sour cream, capers, and cilantro in small bowls and set them on the table along with the bowls of shredded chicken and aji.
2. Reheat the soup if necessary and ladle it into large soup bowls, putting a quarter ear of corn in each bowl.
3. Let guests add the garnishes and the aji to their own servings.

CHILES AND COLOMBIAN CUISINE:

• Colombian cuisine isn’t as spicy as some others in the region (think Mexican), but it does use its share of chiles, most often in aji sauces. Scotch bonnet and habanero chiles are commonly employed, but be warned: They can be intense. The heat level of an average habanero is hot but varies immensely; typically, it ranges between 80,000 and 150,000 Scoville units.(The Scoville scale measures the amount of heat in chiles.) To give some perspective, that means a habanero is 20 to 50 times hotter than a jalapeño. In any case, if you’re not hot on heat, use fewer of these chiles and add more cilantro to the aji.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING:

• 440 CALORIES | 26g PROTEIN | 46g CARB | 19g TOTAL FAT | 6g SAT FAT | 8g MONO FAT | 3g POLY FAT | 70mg CHOL | 1,300mg SODIUM | 8g FIBER