Lunch: Aztec Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, smashed
2 dried chipotle peppers, reconstituted and minced
1 red onion, diced
1 small pinch cumin
1 small pinch smoked cayenne
1 small pinch smoked paprika
Pinch sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 cups chicken broth or 'Liquid Gold' Chicken Broth, recipe follows
1 cup organic canned tomatoes, hand-crushed (recommended: San Marzano)
1 big pinch Greek oregano
1 cup hand-picked cooked chicken meat
1 sprig epazote
1/2 cup wild rice
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 ears corn
1 cup cooked black beans
Pinch brown sugar
Handful fresh coriander (cilantro), minced
Dollop creme fraiche
1 cup fried tortilla strips
1 lime, quartered

Instructions

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. Cook's Note: The good chicken meat can be used for chicken soup or another recipe. Refrigerate the broth overnight. Slip a sharp knife around the edges of solidified chicken fat and discard.

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