The clear blue sky was inspiring. Refreshing. It drew us all out – children were playing, elders looking on, or out for a walk. It made us all want to expand our boundaries, to reach out. I was, as usual, thinking of something to eat.. celebrate with a hearty lunch!
I was thinking of colorful paprika. I was dreaming of something warm, fresh, transparent. Like the crisp blue sky. Something that will fill the day with exuberance and worth. Anyone who knows me won’t bet a dime on what I was looking for. A bowl of comfort.
Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs who wrote this book on native Latin American cooking, Spirit of the Earth, promised it won’t take, to prepare and cook this Guatemalan Chicken-Vegetable Soup, more than 45 minutes. I set my watch.
Take the chicken out of the freezer, wash it, measure the water, put it on boil. (I try to keep meat cleaned and cut into edible pieces, absolutely ready for cooking in the freezer. It’s a breather when you have unexpected guests or are in a hurry.)
Peel potatoes, mince garlic, add to soup. While it boils, chop celery and add to soup. While it cooks, chop zucchini, add to soup. While that simmers, prepare tomatoes, peppers, spinach, and cilantro. Add to soup.
By the time we laid the table, rescued Li'll Bay Leaf from behind the couch, and belted her to her high chair, the soup was ready to be served.
Sharp 42 minutes. Including the pictures. Bravo.
Guatemalan Chicken-Vegetable Soup from
~~from Spirit of the Earth
What do you need?
What do you need?
~ Water – 10 cups
~ Salt – 1 Tablespoon
~ Small new potatoes – 9, unpeeled, scrubbed, cut in half
~ Garlic – 2 cloves, peeled and minced. I happily used 4 cloves.
~ Celery – 2 ribs, coarsely chopped
~ Zucchini – 1 medium, scrubbed and coarsely chopped. I used a big one.
~ Plum tomatoes – 5 quartered. I used 8; 5 is too less for me.
~ Yellow or orange sweet bell peppers – 1, seeded and coarsely chopped. I used yellow, orange, and red chopped enough to fill 1 cup.
~ Swiss chard/bok choy/ spinach or kale – 1 small bunch or 3 to 4 cups, well washed, tough stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped
~ Fresh cilantro – 1 bunch or 1 to ½ cups, stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped. I left this out since, unfortunately, my fresh ones wilted till the roots.
1. Piece the chicken into 6 to 8 serving pieces and place them in a soup pot. Add the water and salt. Place the pot over medium-high heat, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. As the chicken poaches, skim and discard any foam that rises to the top. ~Note: The chicken pieces I used were smaller in size than suggested in the recipe. They cooked faster.
2. Remove the cover. Add the potatoes and garlic and boil for 5 minutes. Stir in the celery and cook for 5 minutes. Then stir in the tomatoes, bell peppers, greens, and cilantro. Cook 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat and spoon chicken, vegetables, and broth into large, individual bowls. Serve immediately.
~Note: I found using a generous amount of salt enhanced the taste of this hearty soup. I didn’t intend it to be salty till the edge of scorching but a light tanginess that brought out the flavor of the spinach. You can start with a little less than a tablespoon of salt, and add your way up till you find the right balance.
Also, I used a far lesser amount of chicken than the recipe suggested, approximately 600 grams or 10 medium pieces of boneless and bone-in chicken. I feel I could use lesser still without compromising much. Just need to do a head count of the ‘guests’. Additionally, next time, I’m going to step up the amount of spinach by another cup and add some asparagus spears cut into 1/2 inch length. Probably add other vegetables that I might have at hand. If you already know me, I don’t mind the greens. Or the reds. Do I?
~ Salt – 1 Tablespoon
~ Small new potatoes – 9, unpeeled, scrubbed, cut in half
~ Garlic – 2 cloves, peeled and minced. I happily used 4 cloves.
~ Celery – 2 ribs, coarsely chopped
~ Zucchini – 1 medium, scrubbed and coarsely chopped. I used a big one.
~ Plum tomatoes – 5 quartered. I used 8; 5 is too less for me.
~ Yellow or orange sweet bell peppers – 1, seeded and coarsely chopped. I used yellow, orange, and red chopped enough to fill 1 cup.
~ Swiss chard/bok choy/ spinach or kale – 1 small bunch or 3 to 4 cups, well washed, tough stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped
~ Fresh cilantro – 1 bunch or 1 to ½ cups, stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped. I left this out since, unfortunately, my fresh ones wilted till the roots.
What should you do?
1. Piece the chicken into 6 to 8 serving pieces and place them in a soup pot. Add the water and salt. Place the pot over medium-high heat, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. As the chicken poaches, skim and discard any foam that rises to the top. ~Note: The chicken pieces I used were smaller in size than suggested in the recipe. They cooked faster.
2. Remove the cover. Add the potatoes and garlic and boil for 5 minutes. Stir in the celery and cook for 5 minutes. Then stir in the tomatoes, bell peppers, greens, and cilantro. Cook 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat and spoon chicken, vegetables, and broth into large, individual bowls. Serve immediately.
~Note: I found using a generous amount of salt enhanced the taste of this hearty soup. I didn’t intend it to be salty till the edge of scorching but a light tanginess that brought out the flavor of the spinach. You can start with a little less than a tablespoon of salt, and add your way up till you find the right balance.
Also, I used a far lesser amount of chicken than the recipe suggested, approximately 600 grams or 10 medium pieces of boneless and bone-in chicken. I feel I could use lesser still without compromising much. Just need to do a head count of the ‘guests’. Additionally, next time, I’m going to step up the amount of spinach by another cup and add some asparagus spears cut into 1/2 inch length. Probably add other vegetables that I might have at hand. If you already know me, I don’t mind the greens. Or the reds. Do I?
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