Ala Mexicana Corn Soup Food

MEXICAN STREET CORN SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat your grill to high. Brush four of the ears of corn with olive oil. Grill the ears of corn, turning occasionally for 8 to 10 minutes, until all sides have a light char on the kernels. Optional: add your favorite wood chips to the grill as the corn cooks. The smoky flavors will enhance the corn very nicely.
• Remove the corn from the grill and cool. When the ears can be handled, cut the kernels from all of the ears (including the 5th, uncooked ear).
• Using the edge of a knife, scrape down the ears of corn to remove the creamy corn. Add to the corn kernels. Slice one of the cobs into three pieces and set aside.
• Heat the butter in a 4 quart Dutch oven or stock pot over medium until melted.
• Add the onions, celery, and poblano and saute until soft (about 5 minutes). Add the potatoes, stock, and sliced corn cob. Raise the heat to high to bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a knife (about 15 minutes). Remove and discard the cobs.
• If a thick soup is desired, mash the potatoes in the pot with a potato masher until broken down (they won't necessarily be smooth at this point). Reduce heat to medium/low.
• Stir in the corn and dairy, plus a couple pinches of salt. Cook for five minutes.
• Observe the texture of the soup. If you want something smoother and thicker, use a stick blender in pulses to smooth out part of the soup. For a completely smooth soup, blend the soup in batches in a high-speed blender.
• Add about 1/4 cup of cotija cheese crumbles, plus the crema to the soup, stirring well. Taste, and add more cheese as needed. It's salty, so it's unlikely you'll need to add more salt at this point.
• Squeeze half of a lime over the soup, and taste. Use the remaining half, if a brighter flavor is desired.
• To serve, sprinkle chili powder over the soup, along with the cilantro and green onions.

MEXICAN CORN SOUP

Steps:

• If using fresh corn, scrape kernels from cobs using small sharp knife or spoon. Place half of the corn kernels in blender with tomatoes, 2 cups of broth, and oregano. Puree until smooth. Set aside.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook bacon, turning once until brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Set aside. Add onion to bacon fat in saucepan and cook, stirring frequently until onion is soft and translucent. Add garlic and stir for another minute.
• Add tomato-corn puree to saucepan with remaining 2 cups of broth. Bring to a low boil and add remaining whole corn kernels. Simmer over medium-low heat until thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally and remove any foam as it develops with a large flat metal spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
• Mix in half of the parsley and cream, if desired, and heat through.To serve, garnished with crumbled bacon, remaining parsley, crumbled cheese and tortilla chips or strips.

MATZO BALL SOUP A LA MEXICANA

Steps:

• Prepare the broth: Place all the ingredients except the salt in a large soup pot and fill with cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Skim off any foam, add salt and simmer, partially covered, until the chickens have fully cooked, about 45 to 50 minutes.
• Carefully remove one of the chickens from the broth and transfer to a bowl. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken and reserve meat, ladling a small amount of broth over it to keep it from drying out, then cover and set aside. Discard the skin and return the bones to the pot. Continue cooking the broth at a high simmer for about 2 hours, adding more water if needed to replenish. Turn off the heat and let cool. Strain and discard vegetables and bones, reserving the second chicken for another preparation (such as shredding it to use in enchiladas).
• About an hour before the broth is done, make the matzo balls: In a large bowl, combine the matzo meal, salt, baking powder, baking soda and black pepper. In a medium bowl, whisk the 2 whole eggs with the 3 yolks, the grated onion, the chicken fat and the minced herbs. In another medium bowl, beat the 3 egg whites by hand or with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir the egg-yolk mixture into the dry ingredients, then add one-third of the beaten egg whites and mix until incorporated. Gently fold in the remaining whites until no streaks remain. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the batter and refrigerate until firm, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Fill a small bowl with water and set aside. Scoop mounds of the matzo batter (about 1 tablespoon each) onto the baking sheet. Using the water to keep your hands moist, as needed, roll each scoop of batter into a ball, handling as gently as possible.
• Return the chicken broth to a simmer and season with salt, if needed. Add the matzo balls as gently as possible and cook over moderate heat, turning them a few times, until they are plump and cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes. Stir the shredded chicken into the soup and cook just until the meat is warmed through, about 2 minutes.
• Serve soup with onions, chiles, cilantro, epazote, avocado and lime wedges on the side, so everyone can garnish as they like.

ARROZ A LA MEXICANA

Steps:

• In food processor or blender, process onion, peppers, garlic, tomato paste, 1/4 cup water, and salt until smooth; set aside.
• In 12-inch skillet, melt Country Crock® Spread over medium-high heat and cook rice, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes or until golden. Stir in remaining 2 1/4 cups water, green peas and carrots, and onion mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Season, if desired, with salt and pepper.

CHICKEN A LA MEXICANA

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a medium size skillet, add the garlic and saute for a moment. Season the chicken with salt & pepper and brown in the skillet along with the garlic.
• When the chicken is evenly browned on both sides (approximately 8 minutes), add the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
• When all the flavors are combined, serve with Spanish rice & warm tortillas.

ALA MEXICANA CORN SOUP

Steps:

• In a kettle cook the garlic in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring for 1 minute, add the onion and the jalapeno peppers, and cook the mixture, stirring, until the onion is softened.
• Add the cumin, the ground coriander seed, and salt and black pepper to taste and cook the mixture, stirring, for 2 minutes.
• Add the carrot and the celery and cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring, for 5 minutes.
• Add the stock, the corn cobs, and 2 1/2 cups water and simmer the mixture for 15 minutes.
• Add all but 1 cup of the reserved corn kernels, simmer the mixture for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the kernels are very tender, and discard the cobs.
• In a blender puree the mixture in batches, blending each batch on high speed for at least 1 minute, or until it is very smooth.
• (If an even smoother soup is desired, after using the blender force the mixture through a fine sieve set over a bowl, pressing hard on the solids.) Let the soup cool to room temperature.
• In a small saucepan of boiling water boil the remaining 1 cup reserved corn kernels for 2 to 4 minutes, or until they are tender, drain them in a colander, and refresh them under cold water.
• Stir the corn into the soup with the roasted bell pepper, the minced coriander, the cayenne, and salt and black pepper to taste and serve the soup at room temperature.
• Garnish with fried tortilla strips.