lunaticsinge.com - Mexican Soups

Lentil and Chorizo Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups water

1 cup green lentils

2 whole garlic cloves, peeled

6 oz. raw chorizo, casing removed

1/2 cup white onion, chopped

1 cup carrot, peeled and cut into 1-inches cubes

1/2 cup tomato sauce

Salt and ground black pepper

1. Combine the water, lentils, and garlic in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 35 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat a medium pot over high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, breaking it up with the back of a spoon, until fragrant and almost cooked through, about 8 minutes. Add the onion and carrot then sauté until the onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper.

3. Add the chorizo mixture to the lentils and stir to combine. Simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.

4. Season soup with salt and pepper before ladling into bowls. Serves 4.

Rice Albondiga Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 small white onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Salt and ground black pepper

1/3 cup long-grain rice

1 lb. ground sirloin

1 medium carrot, sliced

1 serrano chile

2 tablespoons tomato paste

8 cups vegetable broth

1 large Yukon Gold, potato, peeled and diced

2 small zucchini, diced

1. In a large heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the parsley and cook for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool slightly.

2. Mix the rice, ground meat, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add the sautéed onion mixture and mix until incorporated. Using et hands, shape into 20 meatballs, each about 1 inch in diameter.

3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the same pot and sauté the carrot and serrano for 5 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste and vegetable stock, and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs, potato, and zucchini. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.

4. Season the soup with salt and pepper before ladling into bowls. Serves 6 to 8.

Beef Pozole

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs boneless beef shank

5 quarts cold water

1 medium white onion, quartered

1/2 cup carrot, roughly chopped

1/2 cup celery, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic

2 bay leaves

Salt and ground black pepper

1 (29 oz. can) Mexican-style hominy, drained

2 cups Pasilla-Guajillo Salsa , or to taste

3cups green cabbage, thinly sliced

1 cup radishes, thinly sliced

1/3 cup dried oregano

10 lime wedges

1. Put the beef shank in a large heavy pot and add the water, covering completely. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic cloves, and bay leaves. Season with 2 tablespoons salt and 1 tablespoon pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat. Simmer, skimming the fat that comes to he surface while cooking, until the meat is fully cooked and tender, about 2 hours.

2. Remove the meat from the pot and let cool slightly. Strain the broth, discarding the solids, and return to the pot. Add the hominy and bring to a boil.

3. Meanwhile, using a fork, shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Return to the pot along with 1 cup water. Simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the salsa.

4. Ladle the pozole into bowls and top with cabbage, radishes, and oregano. Serve with lime wedges. Serves 10.

Shredded Brisket in Broth

Ingredients:

1 lb. beef brisket, cut into 3-inch pieces (2 1/4 cups)

2 1/2 quarts water

2 teaspoons salt

3 garlic cloves, peeled

1 large carrot, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 russet potatoes, quartered

1/2 cup green beans, halved

1 cup corn kernels, (from 1 ear of corn) or thawed frozen

1 cup green cabbage, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1. Put the brisket into an 8-quart pot and add the water, salt, and garlic. Bring o a boil, stirring occasionally and skimming the foam from the top. Turn down the heat so that the water simmers and skim again. Simmer over medium-low heat until the meat is cooked through and tender enough to shred, 2 1/2 hours.

2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, shred the meat.

3. Remove and discard the garlic from the broth. Add enough water to make 4 cups of broth. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Add the carrots, potatoes, and green beans and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the corn, cabbage, and zucchini, and return the meat the soup. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.

4. Season with salt and pepper before ladling into bowls. Serves 4 to 6.

Creamy Pinto Bean Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup white onion, chopped

1 serrano chile

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans

1 cup vegetable broth

Salt and ground black pepper

1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream

1 1/2 cups tortilla chips

1/4 cilantro leaves

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and serrano then sauté until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans with the canning liquid and the vegetable broth then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the flavors blend, about 12 minutes. discard the serrano chile.

2. Transfer o a blender and puree the soup until very smooth. Return the soup to the same pot. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Ladle the soup into bowls. Drizzle with crema and top with tortilla chips and fresh cilantro leaves. Serves 4 to 6.

Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

6 plum tomatoes, cored

1 small white onion, quartered

2 garlic cloves, peeled

Salt and ground black pepper

4 cups chicken broth

Vegetable oil, for frying

8 (6-inch) stale corn tortillas, halved and cut into 2-inch strips

2 Hass avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced

1/2 cup queso fresco or feta, crumbled

1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream

3 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and cut into 1-inch strips

1. Bring salted water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the tomatoes and cool slightly. Peel the tomatoes and transfer to a blender. Add he onion, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt then blend until smooth.

2. Pour the sauce back into the saucepan and add the chicken stock. Bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Pour enough oil into a heavy medium skillet to come 1/2-inch up the sides of the pan. Heat to 350 degrees F. Working in batches, fry tortilla strips until crisp and golden, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer the strips to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle them with salt while warm.

4. Dive the broth among bowls and serve topped with the tortilla strips, avocado, queso fresco, crema, and pasillas. Serves 4 to 6.

NOTE: Stale tortilla - ones that have been left out overnight work best.

Spicy Shrimp Broth

Ingredients:

1 lb. jumbo shrimp, in the shell and deveined

8 cups water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small white onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick

2 celery stalks, diced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 medium tomato, cored, seeded, and chopped

4 chiles de arbol, stemmed and chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon dried shrimp powder

Lime wedges, for serving

1. Peel the shrimp, reserving the shells. Put shrimp in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

2. Combine the shrimp shells with the water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring and skimming the surface occasionally, for 1 hour. Strain the broth into a large bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to release as much liquid as possible. Discard the shrimp shells. Return the liquid to the pot.

3. Meanwhile, in a heavy medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, 5 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, and bell pepper then sauté until fragrant, 7 minutes. Add the tomato and chiles de arbol and cook for 5 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste and dried shrimp powder and cook for 3 minutes.

4. Stir the sautéed vegetables into the warm shrimp broth in the pot. Cook over medium-low heat for 1 1/2 hours to concentrate the flavors.

5. Add the shrimp to the simmering broth and cook for 3 minutes or until pink and cooked through. Serve in bowls, garnishing with lime wedges. Serves 6 to 8.

NOTE: Shrimp powder is made from ground dehydrated shrimp and is used for seasoning soups , stews, and even cocktails in Mexico - and to flavor noodles and stir-fried dishes in Asia. Don't be put off by its strong, pungent flavor. Once cooked, the flavor mellows into a salty sea flavor that carries a dish. It's really important to let the shrimp powder cook as long as the recipe calls for!