Latin American chicken soup with greens
THERE is a misconception that in Mexican cooking the only greens used are herbs, such as coriander.
In fact, gathering and consuming greens goes back centuries in Mexico. Silverbeet is a hugely popular Mexican green, and it’s the base green in this soup. This is like tortilla soup without the tortilla. It's refreshing and invigorating and, after eating it, you’ll never think of Mexican food quite the same way again. Makes 6 servings Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes Ingredients 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 brown onion, diced small Sea salt 2 carrots, peeled and diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 red capsicum, diced 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced 2 cloves garlic, chopped ½ tsp ground cumin ¼ tsp dried oregano 1 (400g) tin diced tomatoes 1.5 litres chicken stock ½ bunch silverbeet, stemmed and thinly sliced 180g cooled and thinly sliced cooked chicken 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice 2 tbsp chopped coriander, for garnish ½ avocado, diced, for garnish Method Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat, then add the onion, ¼ teaspoon salt, carrots, celery, capsicum and jalapeño.
Saute the vegetables until they begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin and oregano. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the silverbeet and cook until it’s just tender, about 1 more minute.
Stir in the chicken, lime juice and ½ teaspoon salt. Serve garnished with the coriander and avocado, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Cook’s note: If you don’t have leftover chicken on hand, you can quickly poach two skinless, boneless breasts. The following method produces a delicate result by infusing the flavour of the stock liquid into the chicken. Season the breasts with salt and pepper.
In a straight-sided frying pan, bring 750 ml of stock to a boil over high heat. Add the chicken, cover, and decrease the heat to low. The liquid should be just below the boiling point, with its surface barely quivering.
Cook for 15 minutes, then remove the chicken from the poaching liquid and let cool.