UCLBS Recipes

Pam's Chicken Soup Mexicana

Broth and chicken:
Simmer chicken thighs with...
a whole onion
small turnip (cut in half)
3-6 generous slices of ginger
parsley
palmful of peppercorns
lots of sea salt

Strain. Skin, debone and chop chicken and return to stock. (I minced one of the ginger slices into the broth, but discarded the rest of the simmered ingredients. They're pretty lame after all the stewing.)

Veggie Mix:
Saute in 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup butter
2 medium onions - diced
1 large sweet red pepper - diced
3 jalapeno peppers - cut in rings, with seeds
Greek oregano
Three whole garlic cloves (discard later or mince when cooked)
Sea salt

When soft, add:
Large can* of tomatoes without the juice (You could probably add the juice from the tomatoes too.) Break up tomatoes into chunks with your hand (no straight edges, please). (*I use canned tomatoes made only with "tomatoes and salt" because I trust the label. If not, you can use skinned and chopped fresh tomatoes, but add them raw after the veggie mix has cooled a little because they break down into mush when cooked.)
One teaspoon of honey
Juice of half a lime or more. (The honey enhances the sweetness of the tomatoes and the lime juice "lifts" it to add a fresh flavour to the veggies. Lemon would work too.)

If possible, let this mixture sit for a day or two in the fridge so the flavours can snuggle up together. It's also great as a topping for hamburger patties or a side dish with cheese etc..

Grill:
3-4 hot jalapeno peppers.
Remove skin, seed and dice.
(You could probably grill the sweet red peppers too and add them skinned, seeded and diced at this point instead of sauteeing them. The grilling really adds to their flavour.)

To serve:
Combine veggie mix and grilled peppers with chicken and broth. Heat to serving temperature. Do not boil. Ladle into bowls, top with a dollop of dripped yogurt and finely chopped parsley. (Add a dribble more lime juice, if wanted, to taste. You could also top with chopped cilantro.)