Queen Elizabeth’s Soup (Caldo Tlalpeño)
In Guadalajara I encountered not only Jaliscan recipes, but dishes from different parts of Mexico. This delicious soup from Tlalpan, a suburb of Mexico City, is one that I remember having with my parents when they came to Guadalajara on a visit during my student years. Little did any of us foresee that the recipe would be my contribution to an affair of state when Queen Elizabeth visited President Reagan in California in 1983!
Ingredients
- 2 quarts good chicken stock preferably homemade
- 2 whole chicken breasts about 1 pound
- 2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
- 1 small white onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 medium-sized fresh, ripe tomato peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
- 1-2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo
- Salt to taste
- 2 medium-sized firm, ripe avocados peeled and cut in thin strips
- 8 radishes trimmed and thinly sliced
- 2 scallions with part of green tops trimmed and thinly sliced
- 8 ounces Muenster or white cheddar cheese cut into ¼-inch cubes
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas skinned (optional)
- 2 limes cut in wedges
Instructions
- Bring stock to a boil in a large heavy saucepan. Add chicken breasts and simmer, uncovered, until chicken is tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and set the saucepan of stock aside. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin and bones. Pull chicken into shreds and reserve, covered.
- Heat lard in small heavy skillet until rippling. Add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add tomato and cook uncovered, stirring frequently, until somewhat concentrated, about 5 minutes.
- Purée chipotle chiles in a blender with ½ cup of the reserved chicken stock. Add chipotle mixture and tomato mixture to remaining stock. Simmer uncovered on low heat for 15 minutes. Let sit off the heat briefly; strain through a sieve and return to saucepan. Return to a boil over medium heat. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt if needed.
- Divide the shredded chicken, avocado strips, radishes, scallions, cheese, and optional chickpeas among 8 warmed soup bowls. Ladle chicken stock into bowls and serve immediately with lime wedges on the side.
Nutrition
Calories: 428kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 25gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 577mgPotassium: 782mgFiber: 6gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 671IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 245mgIron: 2mg
