Even in L.A. where the weather is pretty agreeable, winter brings quick changes with its shorter days and cooler air. It’s a time for comforting things like movie marathons, cozy fires and warm, hearty soups.
Last winter, just as things were starting to get lonely, some school mom friends and I started a winter soup exchange. It turned out to be a great excuse to get together, drink wine, let the kids play and share our favorite delicious soup recipes just in time for the colder weather.
We would take turns hosting, purchasing all the ingredients (enough for each family), and leading the moms in the preparation of one of our favorite soups. As we cooked, the kids would stop by the kitchen to help chop, taste and prepare the soups before running off to play again.
Soup is an inherently social food. It also has a long tradition of healing and happiness. One of my favorite ones is Caldo de Pollo, a Mexican style chicken soup that the Monte Alban restaurant in Santa Monica does especially well. In keeping with tradition, my family gets this soup every time someone is sick, in the hospital, celebrating a new baby or marking some other important occasion that calls for comfort in our lives.
As my family is pretty large we find ourselves celebrating these occasions pretty often. In the interest of economy, I attempted my own version of Caldo de Pollo. Make it because someone caught a cold, because your sister finally got that promotion at work … or just because it’s delicious.
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caldo de pollo
4 cups chicken stock
4 cups water
2 large, organic chicken breasts (I leave skin on and remove once cooking is complete)
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground Mexican oregano
(You can find this in the international section of most supermarkets)2 whole, peeled garlic cloves (remove after cooking is complete)
4 stalks celery, chopped
(I usually chop and add some leaves from the celery too for flavor)1 yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 cup long grain white rice
1 lime
FOR GARNISH
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 avocado, diced
1 Roma tomato, deseeded and diced
1 package queso fresco (Mexican cheese found in most supermarkets
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
warm corn tortillas or chips
directions
- Combine all soup ingredients and cook uncovered until boiling and then lower temperature to simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add uncooked rice and cover.
- Simmer another 20 minutes until rice is cooked.
- Turn off and remove from heat. Careful, it’s hot! Wait 10 minutes or so after turning off burner, then take out chicken breast and remove skin and debone, then shred back into soup.
- Squeeze a half a lime into soup, or more to taste. Serve with garnishes on the side.
TIME: 1 HOUR, 30 MINS. YIELDS 12 SERVINGS.
