Sopa de Maiz y Chile Verde con Pollo ( Corn & Green Chile Chicken Soup)

Sopa de Maiz y Chile Verde con Pollo

Dia de los Muertos  and Halloween celebrations, albeit different, will both be in full swing next week on both sides of US  Mexican border. I have many fond memories of Dia de los Muertos in Mexico as well as in the US sate of New Mexico. The custom of a gathering of family and friends to celebrate together with the spirits of the departed dates back to pre-Columbian cultures in Central America. Typically paths are lined with marigolds to guide the living and the departed to candle lit fiestas held in cemeteries where local foods abound, beer and tequila flows freely, and corridos ballads thread though the air until the wee hours of the morning.

For more on Dia de los Muertos and a recipe for a Mexican roasted Pumpkin Soup (click here).

This time of year is also chile harvest season and what better way to use freshly picked green chilies than in a hearty Sopa de Maiz  y Chile Verde Con Pollo. Mexican in origin but also a classic in Northern New Mexico where the New Mexico chiles reign supreme. A perfect offering for a Dia de los Muertos supper!

In Mexico fresh green poblano chilies would be used for this soup. In New Mexico Roasted fresh green New Mexico chilies would be used. If neither are available where you live use fresh green jalapeños which, when flame roasted, have a wonderful full bodied flavor and robust heat.

If you live in the US frozen flame roasted New Mexico green chilies are an alternative, though expensive. They are  available online

As tempting as canned green chilies might be, I would suggest avoiding them. They are virtually tasteless. 

Mexican Poblano, New Mexico Green, and Jalapeno chilies

Sopa de Maiz y chile Verde con Pollo ( Corn and Green Chile Chicken Soup)     makes 2 ½ quarts

For the chicken:         Ideally,  cook the chicken the day before you plan to make the soup.

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 large onion, peeled and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 3 celery ribs, diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

Rinse the chicken and place it in a large stock pot. Add enough water to the pot to generously cover the chicken. Add the onions, garlic, celery, bay leaves, and black peppercorns.

Place the pot on the stove top over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to a low simmer and cook the chicken for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the chicken.

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

Once the chicken is cool 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.

Toss all the bones into the stock pot and return the pot to the heat. Bring the contents to a low boil and cook until the stock is reduced by half.

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 with  the lid 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.

For the soup:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 3 celery ribs, finely diced
• 1 head garlic, cloves separated, roasted in a dry skillet until lightly colored, skin removed, and minced
• 2 quarts prepared chicken stock
• 2 ears of corn, husks and silk removed, and grilled
• 4-5 fresh New Mexico green chilies ( or 3 large fresh green poblano chilies, or 6-8 fresh green jalapeno chilies) flame roasted, skin and seeds removed, and cut into thin strips and diced
• 2 cups home cooked white beans (or canned), drained
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crumbled
• ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram leaves, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon dried sage leaves crumbled
• 1 ¾ teaspoons sea salt + more to taste
• 1/3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons minced parsley leaves

Place the olive oil and butter in a stock pot set over medium heat. Swirl the pan until the butter is melted and combined with the oil. Add the onions and celery and lower the heat to medium low and cook, stirring now and again until the onions and celery are very soft and translucent, about, 20 minutes.

Add the garlic and continue to cook another 5 minutes. Then add the stock. Once the stock begins to boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes, adding the beans after 15 minutes. Be sure to stir from time to time so the beans do not stick to the bottom of the pot.

While the soup is simmering, grill the whole corn cobs over an open flame until the kernels are evenly colored and a deeper yellow. Then cut the kernels off the cob and set them aside in a bowl to use later.

Scrape the cobs with the back of a pairing knife to extract the corn milk from the cobs and transfer the scrapings to the simmering stock pot.

Likewise, while the soup continues to cook flame roast the chilies until the skins are evenly blistered. Transfer them to a bowl, seal with cling film, and let them sweat until cool enough to handle. Then slip off the blistered skin. Cut the chilies in half, remove the seeds and veins, slice into strips, and cut the strips into half inch pieces and set aside.

Once the ingredients in the stock pot are cooked remove the pot from the heat and cool for a few minutes. Then blend the contents of the pot with a hand held immersion blender until the mixture is smooth.

Return the pot to to the stove top set over medium heat and add the corn kernels, green chilies, oregano, marjoram, sage, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. Stir and cook the soup for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently as the pureed beans would otherwise settle to the bottom of the pot and scorch.

Put the pulled boiled chicken in a pot with a cup or so of water and reheat until the chicken is hot.

Taste the soup broth and in the stock pot and add salt as needed. Stir in the parsley and cook another couple of minutes. Then add the hot pulled chicken to the pot and stir to combine. Bring to a low simmer just before you are ready to serve.

Garnishes:

• dried red chile rajas (strips)
• tostada corn chips
• sour cream
• lime wedges

To make the dried red chile rajas, place 8 dried red chilies in a dry skillet set over medium low heat. Using a metal spatula, press the chilies

Red Chile Rajas

against the bottom of the skillet briefly then flip them and repeat, then promptly remove them from the skillet to a cutting board.

While they are still warm and pliable, cut the chilies in to very thin strips lengthwise. Then halve the strips crosswise. Heat a little olive oil in a small pan and briefly fry the rajas and set them aside to cool.

Serving:

Ladle the soup into shallow soup bowls, mounding the chicken in the center. Stick several tostatda chips around the chicken. Add a dollop of sour cream in the center and scatter the red chile rajas over the sour cream. Serve with fresh lime wedges placed on the table.