Sopa de Elote
Recipe By: Restaurant El Naranjo, Oaxaca México
Copyright© 2002: Iliana de La Vega
Serving Size : 6 Preparation
Categories : Soups & Stews

 ALSO FEATURING ON THIS PAGE:
Sopa Azteca
Mole Coloradito
Rustic Rice

3 cups corn kernels
1 small onion
2 medium garlic cloves

6 medium tomatoes -- roasted
2 medium garlic cloves -- unpeeled
1 medium onion
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 medium zucchini -- cubed
4 cups milk
2 cups water from the cooked corn
1 pinch baking soda
4 sprigs epazote
2 medium poblano chiles
2 medium chiles de agua
30 zuchini blossoms
3 medium tomatoes -- diced
1/2 pound fresh cheese -- diced
6 tortillas -- in julienne strips
vegetable oil -- for frying

1. Bring to a boil 2 quarts salted water, and cook the corn kernels with onion, garlic and salt.

2. Roast the tomatoes with the onion and unpeeled garlic; when roasted, peel the garlic and transfer along with the tomatoes and onion, to the blender and process; heat the olive oil in a big pot and add the tomato puree, cook until it is well seasoned (when it begins to change color), add the corn kernels, the cubed zucchini, add the milk and 2 cups of the water (from the cooked corn), baking soda, epazote sprigs, and salt. Let it simmer

3. Roast the chiles over the flame and put them in a paper bag or in a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let them sweat for 5 minutes, peel them and remove the seeds and the veins and tear into strips, add to the soup, reserving some for decoration.

4. Meanwhile prepare the zucchini blossoms, removing the pistils, calix, stems and outer green sepals

5. Eight minutes before serving the soup remove the epazote sprigs, add the zucchini blossoms and let the soup simmer.

6. On the serving bowls put some of the cubed cheese and the diced tomato.

7. Ladle the soup into the prepared bowls and garnish with some of the reserved chile strips and julienne tortilla chips.

NOTE : You can substitute the chiles de agua for chiles poblanos.

Aztec Soup (Sopa Azteca)
Recipe By: Restaurant La Olla, Oaxaca México
Copyright© 2002: Pilar Cabrera
Serving Size : 6 Preparation


Ingredients:

FOR SOUP:
7 red tomatoes
2 peeled garlic cloves
1/4 onion
8 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp oil
4 avocado leaves; roasted
2 chiles Pasilla Mexicano

FOR GARNISH:
1 chile Pasilla Mexicano, cut into 12 thin rings
10 day-old corn tortillas
1/2 cup oil for frying
1/2 cubed avocado
1 cup cubed Oaxacan cheese

PREPARATION:
Soup:
1. Roast the tomatoes on each side (about 3-4 min.) until skin is blackened; peel skin off. Roast the garlic, onion, 2 Chiles Pasillas Mexicanos, and avocado leaves in medium-sized pan over medium/high heat for 3 minutes. Put all of these into blender, adding 1/2 cup water. Blend to make a puree.

2. Heat the oil in a medium sized pot. Strain pureed mixture and add to hot pan. Boil for 5 min., until the puree thickens and changes to a deep red color.

3. Add the chicken stock, and salt to taste. Cook for 15 min. over medium heat, stirring only occasionally.

Garnish (prepare before soup):
1. Cut the tortillas into julienned strips, set aside. Heat the oil over high heat in a large frying pan. When the oil is hot, add tortilla strips and fry to light golden brown, making sure the strips don’t stick together. When strips are golden, remove them from the oil with slotted spoon and allow to drain on absorbent paper towels.

2. Roast ringed Pasilla Mexicano chiles in clean pan.

Serve:
1. Place a bit of the fried tortilla strips, cubed avocados, cubed Oaxacan cheese, and roasted chile rings in each bowl. Pour the prepared Aztec soup over the top and serve hot.

Red Mole Sauce (Mole Coloradito)
Recipe By: Restaurant La Olla, Oaxaca México
Copyright© 2002: Pilar Cabrera
Serving Size : 6 Preparation


INGREDIENTS:

1 entire chicken breast, with bones but without skin
1/4 medium white onion

3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp of salt
5 Guajillo chiles
10 red Ancho chiles
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 rolls of bread
1 stick of cinnamon
1 tbsp mix thyme, majoran, oregano
1/2 cup of chocolate, cut in pieces

4 tbsp lard
10 almonds
10 raisins
3 cloves of garlic
1/8 medium white onion
3 medium tomatoes, cooked
2 cups of chicken broth
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt

PREPARATION:

Chicken:
1. Cook the chicken in 4 cups of water, with garlic, onion and salt on medium heat for 45 minutes. Check to make sure that the chicken is cooked through.

Mole sauce:
1. Wash the chiles with a damp cloth, remove the stems of the chiles, slit open with a knife and remove the seeds and veins. Toast the chiles on both sides in large frying pan over high heat, making sure that they do not burn.
2. Soak the chiles in boiling water to soften them for about 10 min. Meanwhile, fry the almonds in the lard at medium heat for 5 min., or until they are a golden color.
3. Take them out and set aside.
4. Next fry the raisins until they puff up and the skin browns a bit, then remove and strain in a sieve. Turn the heat down a bit, and fry the sesame seeds in the same oil, adding salt to prevent them from jumping from pan.
5. Once golden, remove and store on an absorbent paper towel. Still in the same oil, fry the slices of bread, until they are golden. Remove and put on an absorbent paper towel. On a dry pan or skittle roast the garlic, onion and tomato until they are nicely toasted with black spots.
6. In a blender, grind the chiles with a half cup of water. Once the mixture is smooth, pour into a saucepan and fry with one tbsp of the lard for 10 min. on medium heat. Stirring occasionally to ensure that it does not stick to the pan.
7. Next, blend both the roasted and fried ingredients together, until smooth. Blend the tomatoes and strain through a colander and add into the chile mixture. Cook for 5 more minutes. Add the chicken broth, salt, sugar and chocolate. Cool for 15 min. on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Pour the chicken in the cazuela, serve with rice.

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Rustic Rice
Recipe By: Emilia Arroyo
Copyright© 2002: Pilar Cabrera


Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of white rice
• 1/3 cup of sunflower or corn oil
• 3 tbsp of finely chopped white onion
• 3 1/2 cups of chicken broth or water
• 1 finely chopped garlic clove
• 1 cup of chepil and chepiches (Mexican typical spices possible know as wild herb- you can always replace them for your favorite one)
• salt

1. Put the rice into a bowl and add very hot water. Stir it once and leave it to soak for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water and drain again. Leave it to dry.
2. Heat the oil (sunflower or corn) in a heavy pan. Give the rice a final shake and stir in the oil.
3. Fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring almost continuously. Add the onion and the garlic and continue frying until the rice turns a pale gold color and the onion is transparent. continue to heat for 3- 5 minutes longer.
4. Pour in the broth and/or vegetables if desired. Add a salt of choice, stir once again for the last time, and cook over fairly high hear, uncovered, until all the broth and/or vegetable water has been absorbed and air holes appear in the surface.
5. Cover the surface of the rice with a lid and continue cooking over a very low heat for 5 minutes more.
6. Remove the bowl from the heat and set it aside in a warm place so that the rice can absorb the rest of the moisture in the steam and swell for about 15 minutes.
7. Dig gently to the bottom and taste test a grain of rice. If it is still damp, cook for a few minutes longer. If the top grains are not quite soft, then sprinkle with a little more hot broth, cover, and cook for a few minutes longer.
8. Before serving, turn the rice over from the bottom so that the flavored juices will be distributed evenly.