Mexican Sopa de Elote

Mexican Sopa dde Elote

Sopa de Elote is a Mexican corn soup that has many faces ranging from a modest broth based soup to a thick rich creamy soup gilded with molten cheeses and assorted garnishes. keeping in mind it is the corn that is the star ingredient here, shop for the freshest locally grown organic sweet corn you can find and let that be your guide. The remaining ingredients needed are more or less rudimentary and easily found in most local markets.

While you are cooking this soup a  heady combination of flavors and aromas will reaffirm the enduring appeal of truly traditional Mexican cookery.

Mexican Sopa de Elote         makes 3 quarts

Mexican Sopa de Elote

Ideally, cooking the chicken and making a stock the day before you plan to make the soup lightens the time spent in the kitchen the following day.

Before you even begin to cook, remove the husks and corn silk from 4 ears of fresh sweetcorn corn and discard them. Then cut the kernels off the cob into a deep bowl. Scrape each cob with the back of a knife to extract the sweet milk from the cobs. Reserve the cobs that you will be using later, and cover the bowl with the kernels and scrapings and refrigerate as they will be added to the soup the following day.

Ingredients for chicken and stock

• 1 whole chicken
• water to generously cover the chicken
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 large onion, peeled and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, skin removed
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into three pieces each
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 cilantro ( coriander) roots, crushed
• 4 reserved corn cobs

Rinse the chicken and place it in a large stock pot. Add enough water to generously cover the chicken. Place the pot on the stove top over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to a low simmer.

Add the salt, vinegar, peppercorns, diced onions, carrots, bay leaves, cilantro roots, and the reserved scraped corn cobs. Give the pot a good stir and cook the chicken at a simmer for 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken. Skim off any foam and fat that forms on the surface and discard.

Remove the chicken from the pot and set the chicken and the stock aside to cool.

Fish out the carrot pieces in the stock pot, place them in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

Once the chicken has cooled enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones in generous chunks and place them in a bowl. Leaving the chicken in larger pieces will give the soup a more substantial profile and tenderer meat when reheated. Cover the pulled chicken with cling film and refrigerate.

Put all the chicken bones back into the pot of stock and return the pot to the heat. Bring the contents to a low boil and cook until the stock is reduced by a third. Once again, skim off any foam and fat that forms on the surface and discard.

Remove the pot from the heat and set aside to cool for 20 minutes or so. Then strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer into a large container and set aside to cool to room temperature. Discard the bones and solids after straining the stock.

Once the stock is cooled, cover the container and refrigerate overnight.

The following morning skim off the fat that has solidified on the surface of the stock and save for another use or discard it.

Ingredients for the soup

• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 celery rib, finely diced
• 4 garlic, cloves, minced
• 2 large gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 3 quarts prepared chicken stock
• 5 jalapeno chiles, seeded, quartered, and flash fried
• 2 cups home cooked pinto beans (or canned), drained
• reserved cooked diced carrots
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram  or oregano leaves
• sea salt to taste
  fresh lime wedges
• 1 pint crema (sour cream thinned slightly with whole milk)
• sprigs fresh coriander leaves
• corn tortilla chips (pictured, blue corn chips)
• ground red chile as a final seasoning (optional)

Place 3 tablespoons olive oil in a stock pot set over medium heat.When the oil is nearly smoking until the oil dd the onions and celery and lower the heat to medium low and saute, stirring now and again, until the onions and celery are very soft and translucent, about, 10 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook another 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small fry pan. When smoking hot add the quartered jalapeno chiles, skin side down in the pan and flash fry until the skin is blistered. Flip the chiles and fry another minute or so. Remove the chiles from the pan and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle pull off the blistered skin and discard. Then dice the chiles and set aside.

Add 3 quarts of reheated stock to the sauteed onion, celery, garlic mixture. Once the stock begins to boil, add the diced potatoes and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat. Using an immersion blender (or blender) puree the contents of the pot until smooth and creamy.

Return the pot to the heat and add he beans, reserved diced carrots, marjoram or oregano, diced flash fried jalapenos, and the reserved fresh corn kernels. Cook for another 15 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently so soup does not scorch on the bottom of the pot. Taste and add salt as needed.

When you are nearly ready to serve, add the pulled chicken to the soup. Allow the soup to come to a very low simmer and cook for about 10 minutes before serving.

Serving

Ladle the soup into individual bowls, mounding the chicken in the center. Garnished with fresh cilantro sprigs and serve.

Place a bowl of crema on the table along with a bowl of corn tortilla chips which can be added to the soup. Include a plate of fresh lime wedges, and a  small container of ground red chile for those who want to crank up the heat  bit. 

Guacamole is always a nice accompaniment along with the corn tortilla chips as well. 

This soup freezes beautifully and always nice to have on hand for a last minute meal on demand.

Buen provecho!