Ajiaco Santafereño

Rinse 900 g of skinless chicken thighs, 3 ears of corn and the potatoes. Cut the corn into 3 pieces each; slice the pastusa and sabanera potatoes into rounds about 1 cm thick, and leave the criolla potatoes whole or cut them in half.

Bring 2 L of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the chicken, corn, salt and black pepper; reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, skim off the foam, and cook for 20 minutes.

Add the pastusa potatoes and cook for 10 minutes, until they begin to soften and release their starch into the broth.

Add the sabanera potatoes and cook for another 10 minutes.

Add the criolla potatoes and cook for 10–15 minutes, until they nearly fall apart and the soup has noticeably thickened. Avoid stirring too vigorously so some potato chunks remain intact.

Remove the chicken, let it cool slightly, then remove the meat from the bones and shred it. Return the meat to the pot, add the guascas (Galinsoga parviflora), and cook for another 5 minutes; adjust the salt if needed.

Take the ajiaco off the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Ladle the soup into 6 bowls, top each with cream and capers, and serve with avocado wedges.