Evaristo and I are sick with colds. Evaristo has it much worse than I do. Caldo de Pollo (hearty chicken soup) seemed like just the thing to make him feel better. My mom used to make cream of tomato soup for me when I was feeling rotten, but this time I decided to go with the more traditional chicken soup. Everyone has their own version of "traditional" chicken soup and I have no idea how close mine comes to traditional, but it sure is good. I made about 4 liters of soup to last the week. When I serve the soup, I like to use avocado as a topping, because, well, its delicious and why not?
Andrea's Caldo de Pollo
Ingredients:
3 chicken thigh/leg pieces with the bone in, skin removed
2 or 3 large pieces of celery with the tops and bottoms removed, sliced
one small yellow onion and 1/3 large white onion, roughly chopped
3 carrots cut into matchsticks
10 baby potatoes, quartered
half a cabbage, roughly chopped
a cup of fresh peas
one cauliflower, florets roughly separated
chicken broth cubes
and avocado
Preparation: On medium high heat, add a small amount of oil to the bottom of your large soup pot and wait for it to heat up a bit. Add your onions and let them cook for a few minutes then add your celery and carrots, stir everything around for a minute or so. Layer the raw chicken on top of the carrots, onions, and celery. Add the rest of your veggies to the pot and add approximately 3 to 4 liters of water, or until everything in the pot is covered by 4 to 5 centimeters of water. Add the appropriate amount of chicken broth cubes for the amount of water you used. Cover with a lid and let everything cook until the chicken is done and the flavors have come together, stirring occasionally. Serve in large bowls with sliced avocado on top.
I love this soup. It's the perfect thing for when you're not feeling so great and have a cold or simply want a lovely, warm meal on a cold night.
