Last night’s dinner was just soup BUT it rocked. It is my daughter Lulu’s most favorite soup in the whole world. Again, let me say again, that although I love to talk about my family, the names have been changed to protect the guilty. The same goes with my friends, their names will be used as either initials or monikers.
My family ADORES Mexican food. Lord we have even made peanut butter and jelly on tortillas. After my mama died, I left Texas, my home sweet home and moved to Oklahoma because the whole of my family was there and I wanted my daughter to be surrounded by family.
I met a wonderful couple who I will call Lucy and Ricky. He was from Mexico and had that wonderful beautiful rhythmic Spanish accent. Yeah I have always loved accents particularly Scottish and Mexican. His wife was red headed and a character so Lucy just fits. They became my best friends in Oklahoma. We spent tons of time together and even some holidays together. We even went camping together. Our children were like siblings. As a matter of fact my daughter calls them mom and dad also. Since I was a single parent she needed a father figure and Ricky was the finest kind. A few years ago, they opened a Mexican Restaurant. I occasionally helped them out at their restaurant. I learned to make a tremendous amount of Mexican dishes and I became and when I mastered chile rellenos and menudo, I became an honorary Mexican. However, back to the post, I learned to make a nice pot of Caldo de pollo. Yep, just chicken soup but oh what a chicken soup it is. This coup is rich, and chock full of flavor. There are no exact amounts, so ya have to take some liberty making it. I will write how I make it then at the end there will be a note on how it was authentically made and served,
Caldo de Pollo
2.5 pounds chicken tenders
2 jalapenos seeded and diced
1 diced onion
8 baby carrots (1 large) diced
½ small bell pepper diced
1 rib celery diced
¼ cup Knorr’s caldo de pollo*
Pepper
2-3 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Handful cilantro chopped
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 can approximately 15 ounce diced tomatoes
1 small head cabbage chopped
4 yellow squash quartered lengthwise then sliced in ½ inch slices
4 zucchini quartered lengthwise then sliced in ½ inch slices
¼ to ½ cup Basmati rice
Handful chopped parsley
1 diced shallot
6 cloves crushed garlic
2 teaspoons Morton Nature Season
1 stick butter
Salt to taste
In a huge stewpot melt the stick of butter over low heat add, onion and shallot and cook over low for 2 minutes. Now after each addition you will cook for 2 minutes then to the next one. Add bell pepper. Add carrot. Add celery. Add jalapeno. Add garlic but only sauté it 1 minute. Throw all the spices and herbs in except salt and then add the chicken in. Add enough water to cover the chicken plus 2 extra inches more of water in. Add ¼ cup of Knorr Caldo de pollo (see note below). Bring this to a boil then lower till it is simmering. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the can plus the juice of the diced tomatoes. Add the mixed vegetables and the cabbage. Simmer another 30 minutes. Add the rice, yellow squash and the zucchini. Stir every little bit and make sure to scrape the bottom so the rice does not stick. Simmer another 30 minutes till rice is tender. Now check for seasoning. At this time I like to add another little teaspoon of cumin, a small bit of ground coriander, and a small amount of both parsley and cilantro to freshen the herb flavor. Taste for salt and add more if necessary.
Notes: First of all this soup is traditionally made with whole pieces of chicken bone in, and instead of frozen corn it is made with small ears of corn on the cob. It also does not have the mixed vegetables in it. You are given a bowl of soup and then they place a whole piece of chicken and a corn on the cob on top. It is scrumptious that way but I like the added ingredients and my family only eats white meat and the tenders are perfect, the broth seasons them all the way through, I even throw them in frozen. The next thing to discuss is Knorr’s Caldo de pollo. It is powdered chicken bouillon but it also has a few seasonings and parsley in it. It is in a brown bottle with a green lid and yellow and green label and it is found in the Hispanic food aisle of the grocery store. If you cannot find it then plain chicken bouillon will do. You can use any kind of rice but basmati has a flavor that is very much complemented by the Latin favors. Also there is dried bottled cilantro and parsley that will also do. If you like things a bit spicier then by all means leave the seeds in the peppers and add to the soup. Without the seeds, it is spicy but not that hot.
I also served cornbread and dessert was ice cream. It was great. My daughter loves the stuff better than any other soup.
Until we meet again, esté a salvo y sea abofetear feliz su alimento ( Be safe and Happy Smackin’).
