The first recipe, Caldo Xochitl, comes from El Mirador Restaurant - San Antonians know that if it's Saturday, the Trevino family will be making their famous soup there. The restaurant is a local favorite and has received national press in the New York Times and Bon Appetit.
This wonderful soup is made with El Mirador Rice, over which it is ladled. The rice recipe can also stand alone as a basic Mexican side dish.
5 cloves garlic -- minced
1 tablespoon oregano -- dried
1/4 teaspoon clove -- ground
2 1/2 quarts water
3 pounds chicken -- fryer
1 tablespoon poulet gold/ chicken stock base
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cumin -- ground
1 teaspoon pepper -- ground
3 bay leaf
1 sprig basil -- fresh
2 cups zucchini -- large dice
1 1/2 cups green bell pepper -- diced
1 1/2 cups celery -- diced
1 medium onion -- diced
1 17 oz can garbanzo beans -- drained and rinsed
1 bunch green onion -- chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro -- chopped
2 jalapeno -- chopped
2 tomatoes, fresh firm -- cubed
1 avacodo -- cubed
Mix garlic, oregano, and cloves to a paste. Bring water to boil in large pot. When water is boiling, add chicken, salt and pepper, and simmer for a few minutes. Skim off foam, and add garlic paste, poulet gold chicken stock base, cumin, bay leaves, and basil. Let chicken simmer until cooked, about an hour. Remove chicken and set aside to cool. Add zucchini, carrots, bell pepper, onion, and beans to pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Be very careful not to overcook the vegetables. You want the onion to be crisp tender. Meanwhile, remove skin and bones from chicken; shred meat. (This can be made with boneless, skinless chicken breast, in which case adjust cooking time to absolute minimum so as not to overcook the chicken and make it stringy) When vegetables are to the desired tenderness add meat to soup and heat through.
FOR EACH SERVING
Place 1/4 cup El Mirador rice in soup bowl. Pour soup around the rice and top
with green onion, cilantro, cliles, tomatoes, and avacado.
El Mirador Rice
3/4 cup long-grain rice
lemon juice
2 tablespoons oil
2 tomatoes -- ripe, chopped
2 medium green bell pepper -- chopped
1 clove garlic -- minced
1 tablespoon chicken stock base
1 cup hot water
2 teaspoons cumin -- ground
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
Cover rice with hot water. Add squeeze of lemon juice and let soak for 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly in colander. Heat oil in large skillet with tight fitting lid. Add rice and saute until golden. (note - this takes about 10 minutes and you really have to keep stirring to keep it from burning) Stir in tomatoes, peppers and garlic and saute 5 minutes. Add chicken base disolved in water, and seasonings. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
*Do not remove lid while rice is cooking. Fluff with fork.