Aztec Vegetables Recipes

Steps:

• Fry the bacon in a large skillet until crispy; remove from pan, reserving drippings, cut into small pieces, and set aside.
• Add the oil to the bacon drippings over medium temperature, then sauté the chicken and beef strips until browned, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes.
• In another large saucepan over medium heat, stir together the boiling water and bouillon granules until dissolved.
• Add remaining ingredients (including reserved bacon) and the cooked meat strips, and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Garnish, serve, and enjoy!
• Note: to make the seafood version of Azteca's Molcajete, omit the chicken/beef and instead have 1/2 pound shelled and deveined shrimp, 1/2 pound scallops, and as much skinned and deboned whitefish fillet pieces as you'd like (about 1/4 pound or more) which you will add in during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
• Note #2: we've also added a can of black beans to the recipe, to good effect. If the soup isn't as thick as you'd like it to be, try adding a can of refried beans - it works well! We've also served it with crisp tortilla strips and a dollop of Mexican crema instead of monterey jack. It's a versatile recipe, so experiment and enjoy yourself! :) If you have made the Rich and Delicious Enchilada sauce recipe of mine, you might recognize many of the soup ingredients - to make the sauce into soup, use 2 cups of the sauce, add 1 cup hot water and 1/2 teaspoon chicken stock granules, then add the cooked chicken and garnish ingredients as usual.

Steps:

• 1. In a large saucepan, soak the beans overnight in the chicken broth in the refrigerator.
• 2. The next day, heat them until boiling, then turn down to simmer and cook the beans; covered until tender.
• 3. Remove half of the beans from the pot and puree in a blender; then add the cayenne to the puree.
• 4. In another large saucepan, heat the butter until melted. Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Add the onions, garlic, cilantro, and minced chili pepper. Cook until onions are clear; stirring frequently.
• 5. Add the whole beans with their cooking liquid to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Then add the pureed beans.
• 6. Add the cream and heat to the desired temperature, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper.
• 7. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with tortilla chips and shredded jack cheese. Garnish with cilantra sprigs.

Steps:

• To make Aztec Soup: In a large pot, heat the extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes, until golden. Throw in the minced chipotles, red onion, cumin, smoked cayenne, smoked paprika, sea salt, freshly ground pepper and saute for 8 minutes. Deglaze the pot with chicken broth and add the tomatoes, Greek oregano, chicken meat and the sprig of epazote. Stir. Partially cover pot and simmer soup for about 40 minutes.
• Boil some salted water in a separate pot. Throw in the wild rice and simmer for 40 minutes. Strain.
• Heat a grill pan on medium-high heat. Brush some canola oil on the ears of corn. Grill the corn for a few seconds on all sides until marked. Slice off the corn niblets. Add the corn, wild rice, and cooked black beans to the soup. Season the soup with brown sugar, sea salt, freshly ground pepper and coriander (cilantro) to taste.
• Serve this soup with a dollop of creme fraiche, crispy tortillas and a squirt of fresh lime juice.
• To make 'Liquid Gold' Chicken Broth: Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic cloves and saute for 2 minutes, until garlic is golden. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Season the vegetables with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Saute for about 8 minutes. Cut the organic chicken and chicken bones into pieces. Really hack into it so that the bones and marrow are exposed. Add the chicken pieces and pint of chicken bones to the pot. Fill the pot with water until it just covers all the chicken, and bring to a boil.
• Tie the parsley, celery leaves, bay leaf, thyme, and tarragon into a bouquet using butcher's twine or kitchen twine. Add the bouquet to the pot along with the black peppercorns.
• Once the broth has begun to boil, bring the heat down to medium-low. Partially cover, and let the broth simmer for 2 to 3 hours.
• Strain the chicken broth through cheesecloth. Hand-pick the good chicken meat and set it aside.
• Refrigerate the broth overnight. Slip a sharp knife around the edges of solidified chicken fat and discard.

Steps:

• Heat oil in large skillet and carefully drop in half the tortilla strips. Fry in batches until golden brown and crunchy. Place fried tortilla strips on a paper towel-lined plate and pat dry. Sprinkle salt on tortillas, tossing to coat both sides.
• Using a blender or food processor, blend tomatoes, onion and cilantro until completely pureed.
• In a saucepan, heat chicken broth, chipotle chili, and pureed vegetables. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Ladle soup into serving bowls. Prior to serving, add tortilla strips and avocado. Buen provecho!