Caldo Tlalpeño Rápido
(kahl-doh tlal-pehn-yo rah-pee-doh)
Sana, Sana, Colita de Rana: Healing Caldos & The Fideo Pot
Wednesday night. A scratchy throat. Thirty minutes on the stove. The secret that elevates this from a simple chicken soup to a deep, smoky marvel is the recado, built with canned chipotles in adobo. You don't just boil the tomatoes and chiles; you blend them and fry them fiercely in hot oil before the broth even hits the pot. With rotisserie chicken and canned garbanzos, you can build that same rich, toasted-chile backbone on a random Wednesday night in the suburbs. As the broth simmers, grab a bowl, finish with a heavy squeeze of lime, and eat.
Ingredients
- Roma tomatoes3 med
- white onion1/2 med
- garlic2 large
- canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce2 med
- adobo sauce1 tbsp
- neutral oil1 tbsp
- chicken broth6 1/4 cup
- carrots2 med
- fresh green beans1 1/2 cup
- canned garbanzo beans15 oz
- cooked chicken2 cup
- fresh cilantro sprigs5 small
- avocado1 large
- Queso Panela1 cup
- lime1 med
Method
- 01
Blend the recado.
In a blender, combine the tomatoes, white onion, garlic, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, and 1/4 cup of the chicken broth. Blend on high until you have a completely smooth, reddish purée.
- 02
Fry the base to build the soul of the soup.
Place a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once shimmering, carefully pour in the tomato-chipotle purée—stand back, as it will sputter. Stir constantly for 5 to 8 minutes until it darkens to a deep brick red and thickens into a paste as the raw tomato flavor cooks out.
- 03
Build the broth.
Pour in the remaining 6 cups of chicken broth, stirring well to dissolve the fried base into the liquid. Bring the pot to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer.
- 04
Simmer the vegetables.
Drop in the sliced carrots and the cilantro sprigs. Cover partially and simmer for 8 minutes to soften the carrots.
- 05
Finish the soup.
Add the green beans, drained garbanzos, and shredded chicken. Simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes until the green beans are tender-crisp. Taste for salt, then remove and discard the wilted cilantro sprigs.
- 06
Serve and customize at the table.
Ladle the steaming, smoky broth and chunky vegetables into wide bowls. Let everyone garnish their own with the diced avocado, cubed cheese, lime wedges, and extra chipotles.
Notes
The Magic of the Sofrito.
Frying the blended puree is vital. Boiling raw tomatoes results in a weak, watery flavor, but frying triggers a reaction that concentrates the glutamates and blooms the spices in the chipotle.
The Epazote Factor.
If you can find fresh epazote at a Latin market, use one large sprig in place of the cilantro. It smells faintly of mint and oregano, and is the true ancestral flavor of central Mexico.
From Cook Tex-Mex.