Hi everyone, I have been absent from all social media for a while. As you may know, I lost my beloved nephew Iñaki a few weeks ago and after that I lost all my desire to share anything. I had decided to take time “off” to allow myself to grieve. To add insult to injury, I contracted Covid-19 and if you’ve never had it, let me tell you, it takes everything out of you.
I am thankful that I am double vaccinated, so my symptoms were not that severe, but still, it is not easy to go through covid all by yourself. In essence, we are all alone and isolated when we go through this, but in my case, since I live alone, it was even worse. Physically, it knocks you out completely, but psychologically it is really hard because you worry about anyone that you could have passed it onto. It is stressful and horrible and I don’t wish it on anyone. I have always been careful and follow social distancing guidelines, but it goes to show you that even if you are, you can get it. The other thing I realized is that vaccines DO work, so if you’re still on the fence, I really recommend you go out and get the jab.
While I was sick, even though my appetite was nonexistent, I needed to force myself to to eat. They tell you to eat protein and stay hydrated, so I went through my fridge and managed to make myself a huge pot of chicken soup, and that’s pretty much what I ate for 7 days straight. Thankfully, I went through it as if I had a really bad flu, chills at night, congestion, dry cough, really bad headaches, extreme exhaustion and loss of sense of smell and diminished sense of taste (that is really scary but especially for a chef!).
Three weeks later, I am starting to feel more like myself, though I’m still tired. I was able to go back to work and my appetite is starting to come back. I am pushing myself to get back to my routines, and this weekend I made another pot of chicken soup. Something about the comfort it brings makes it really appealing especially since the snow has started to fall here in Ottawa.
This recipe is super easy to make, so much so you can even make it while you’re sick. It is very similar to Caldo Tlalpeño, but the ingredients are a bit different. You can add whatever veggies you have on hand. I love adding the usual items like carrots and potatoes, plus some chayote, green beans and zucchini. If you have corn on the cob, you can add small rounds of that as well.
To serve, I like to cook a pot of rice so I can add a spoonful to my bowl of soup (that is a very Mexican thing to do). The usual and best garnishes for this bowl of goodness are chipotle chiles and lime juice, but a few slices of avocado are amazing too.
I hope you make a big pot of chicken soup this winter. Please take care of yourself and stay safe out there, especially with this new Omicron variant.
Caldo de Pollo y Verduras
Chicken and Vegetable Soup
2 litres good quality chicken stock
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced thinly
1/4 white Spanish onion, sliced thinly
2 stalks celery, sliced thinly
1 small chayote squash, peeled and diced
2 small white potatoes, peeled and diced
Salt to taste
1 medium zucchini, trimmed and sliced thinly
1 handful green beans, trimmed and cut into 1” lengths (about 1 cup)
2-3 cups pulled cooked chicken (from a rotisserie chicken works great)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Garnishes:
Lime wedges
Chipotle Chiles in adobo
Cooked Mexican rice
In 6 quart stock pot, place chicken stock and turn heat on medium high. Add carrots, onion, celery, chayote and potatoes, along with salt to taste.
Bring to a low boil, then turn heat down and simmer until vegetables are just cooked, 25-30 minutes.
Add zucchini, green beans and pulled chicken and simmer another 10 minutes, only until zucchini and beans are tender.
Add cilantro and serve bowls with a spoonful of rice, and chipotles and limes on the side.
Serves 6.