Vori voriParaguayan corn dumpling soup

• 1 (1.8–2 kg)1 (4–4.5 lb) free-range hen (gallina casera) or chicken, cut into pieces
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper (locote), finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 carrot, diced
• 150 g5 oz zapallo (winter squash), peeled and diced
• 2.5 l10½ cups water, boiling, plus more as needed
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 250 g8.8 oz (about 1⅔ cups) fine yellow cornmeal (harina de maíz), ideally precooked, not coarse polenta
• 100 g3.5 oz queso Paraguay (fresh salty cow's-milk cheese), crumbled; or queso fresco
• about 250 mlabout 1 cup hot broth from the pot, for the dough
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley, to serve
• boiled mandioca (cassava), optional, to serve

Method

1. 1

   1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and brown the hen pieces on all sides, about 8 minutes. Lift them out.

2. 2

   2. In the same pot, cook the onion, pepper, garlic, tomato, carrot and squash with a pinch of salt for 8–10 minutes, until soft.

3. 3

   3. Return the hen, pour in the boiling water, bring to the boil and skim off the foam.

4. 4

   4. Cover and simmer gently for 2½–3 hours for a hen (about 1 hour for a young chicken), until the meat comes away from the bone; top up with boiling water so the pieces stay covered. Do not skim off the fat: it gives vori vori its golden colour and body.

5. 5

   5. Make the dough: mix the cornmeal, a good pinch of salt and the crumbled cheese in a bowl, then add hot broth a little at a time, working it with your hands, until it holds together as a firm, smooth dough that neither cracks nor sticks. Let it rest for 5 minutes.

6. 6

   6. Roll the dough between your palms into balls the size of a hazelnut (1.5–2 cm / about ¾ in) and lay them on a lightly floured tray.

7. 7

   7. Bring the broth back to a steady simmer and drop in the balls a handful at a time, stirring gently so they do not stick together.

8. 8

   8. Simmer for 10–15 minutes, until the balls float, are cooked through when you bite one, and the broth has turned thick and yellow.

9. 9

   9. Stir in the oregano, season with salt and pepper and serve very hot, with parsley on top and boiled mandioca on the side.