1. We've been doing weather.
2. I decided to make homemade chicken soup, Cuban-style. (I know. Shut up.)
But….
3. I had my (95 year old, very, very opinionated!) CUBAN mom with me when I made it.
That means that I was able to achieve The Perfect Storm.
The story and my recipe for Sopa de Pollo (Cuban-style Chicken Soup) is posted over at Babalú blog today.
Go check it out, then come back here and offer me some comfort. 😉
Marta,Greetings from Lafayette, Louisiana!
I want to stop by and tell you that I just realized you have your own blog–and you’re a cookbook author no less!–when I moused over your username at Babalú. I’ve just given a few of these posts an overview and I am very impressed. I’ll be notifying my cuisine-loving extended family of what you’ve got going on here and I’m sure you’ll be getting some visits soon. Definitely my kind of food!
StJacques
Thanks, StJacques!Up on the top right column is a link to all my recipes. It’s the Marta’s Cuban American Kitchen logo.
The recipes in my cookbook all began as posts for Babalú.
Glad to get to know you, cyberly-speaking.
And thanks for noticing me. =D
Besos,
Marta
Haha your mother reminds me of my grandmother, she’s the same, “nadie lo ace asi, bueno eso sera a tu manera, cono no lo pongas tanto comino, etc. en Espana blah blah en Cuba blah blah nadie lo ace asi” haha I love her. Sometimes if she’s not watching I just tell her I’m doing it her way, when im actually not….I make my Cuban style chicken soup a little different though… I boil chicken with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano or bay leaf, chicken bouillon, water, onion, garlic, bell pepper, and tomato.
Afterwards I strain it, remove chicken shredd, etc. then boil the “Viandas” (whatever you like, I’m satisfied with just calabaza and papa)
I fry the fideos in oil before adding them towards the end, the last 15 minutes of cooking.
It can stand alone as a meal but some like it with bread, and the lime or lemon I serve it with wedges on the side for anyone that wants to add it to their soup. You can garnish each bowl with minced parsley or cilantro.
Hola Marta… I am going to try this as I am still drooling over the images I saw at Babalu Blog. I have been able to find both fresh and frozen yucca (prefer the frozen) but I have never seen frozen platanos. That would save a tremendous amount of time. Where do you find those in SoCal?BTW, Loved your mom’s apology!
Ed,My local “mercado” has the frozen Goya plantains. Here’s a link to the Goya site so you can see what they have available.
For this soup, I use the baked ripe ones. I have even served the frozen maduros (popped into the oven for 15 minutes) to guests before – they’re THAT good.
She’s sheepishly telling everyone that I make the best soup. Gotta love those Cuban elders!
Hi Nathan,Thanks for feeling my pain. LOL!
I appreciate your version of the soup. I prefer the plantains to the calabaza for the sweetness, but that’s just me. I like your idea of frying the fideos. That makes sense, so they won’t be as likely to plump and turn into pasta. Will try it next time.
I am completely enamored with the green onion/cilantro/cumin flavoring. I find it super intoxicating and a nice departure from the “sofrito” style. Plus it makes for a thicker soup, which I prefer.
Thanks for adding your culinary expertise!
Besos,
Marta
Marta,I love the Goya frozen maduros, and also have proudly served them to guests. My dear Mother-in-Law has taught many a Cuban recipe to this “pobre Dominicanita”…and I must say, I’ve gotten pretty good at Vaca Frita and Fabada. I use your recipes, however, for ropa vieja, and your pastel de pollo is a favorite with my kids (think I’ll make it tonight, since it’s one of those “ships passing” evenings). Your Chicken Soup recipe looks an awful lot like the one my Grandmother (her cocinera, to be more specific) used to make in Santo Domingo. Can’t wait to try it. Keep on cookin’, Marta, my family will thank you later! 😉
Angie
Hi Marta,Yeah I too could imagine the green onions would be super good especially with cilantro and comino next time I make soup I will incorporate some of that 🙂
Oh btw if you want to see one of my blogposts that I fry some of the fideos before adding to teh soup you can check it out, I make a type of noodle soup that I serve with “Munyeta” *you know the white beans mashed with chorizo and stuff.
http://nathanscomida.blogspot.com/2008/08/munyeta-y-sopa-de-fideos-munyeta-and.html
We’ve gotten snowed in here on the east coast and this soup was just what we needed! I served my with a little sliced aguacate on top. It was AMAZING. Thanks again Marta.