Guatita

Layla Pujol’s guatita is an Ecuadorian beef-tripe stew with potatoes and a peanut sauce. She cuts the cooked tripe into small pieces so its pronounced flavour blends with the potatoes and sauce.

The tripe is washed with lemon juice, water and salt, then rinsed. It simmers with cilantro, crushed garlic and cumin until tender; two cups of that cooking broth are reserved for the stew.

Butter, annatto, cumin, oregano, onions, bell pepper, tomato and minced garlic make a refrito. Peanut butter is softened with part of the milk, then blended with the refrito and the remaining milk into a smooth sauce.

The sauce, reserved broth, diced tripe and potatoes simmer together until the potatoes soften. Lightly mashing some potatoes thickens the sauce further.

Pujol serves guatita with white rice, pickled onions, tomato and avocado slices, and ají sauce. She describes adaptations using other proteins, while this selection keeps the beef tripe of her main recipe.