Caldo de Albondigas/ Meatball Soup
[cahl'-do] [al-bon’-de-gah]
Ingredients:
1lb. Ground Chicken
8c. Hot Water
2 Medium Yellow Skin Potatoes
3 Carrots
1 Mexican Squash
1 Hatch Green Chile
1 Large Tomato
1 Small Onion
1 Handful of Cilantro
1/3cup Rice
2Tbsp. Chicken Bouillon
1Tbsp. Olive Oil (or any kind of cooking oil you like)
1 Clove of Garlic
Salt
Pepper
I usually get all my ingredients ready first. You will cut into small cubes the following: 2 potatoes( I usually put my cut up potatoes in water to keep them from turning brown), 2 1/2 carrots, 3/4of the squash, onion, tomato and cilantro. You will grate: 1/2 carrot and 1/4 squash. ( I know I spelled tomato wrong in my picture)
Into my ground chicken goes: 1/2 grated carrot, 1/4 grated squash, handful tomato, handful of onion, 1/3 cup of rice, 1Tbsp. chicken bouillon, pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Mix Everything by hand.
For now you are done with the chicken. You want to place it inside the fridge until we are ready to use it.
Boil 8 cups of water.
Heat 1Tbsp. of oil in a large pot in medium heat.
Saute: tomato, onion and clove of garlic.
Add the 8cups of hot water.
Also, add the green chile for flavor and 1Tbsp of chicken bouillon. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, get your chicken out of the fridge and start making small meatballs. I like to use a spoon to help me grab equal amount of chicken each time.
They should look something like this. However, you can make them as big or small as you want.
You are going to drop all your meatballs in the water. Be careful not to stir the water too much so that your meatballs don't break up.
Once you have all the meatballs in the pot, cover it with a lid and let it boil for about 15 minutes to allow chicken to cook. (medium heat)
After the 15 minutes. I like to start adding my vegetables. First I add the carrots wait 10minutes then add the potatoes.
I check that my potatoes are soft but not so soft that they brake completely. Then I add my squash.
Then my cilantro.
Give it a stir, put the lid back on and turn off my stove. I like my squash to stay a little under cooked simply because I don't like mushy squash.
This is what your pot should look like when it's done.
Yummm!!! and this is what my plate looks like. I usually add some lime juice and hot sauce and of course I wouldn't be Mexican if I didn't have corn tortillas with this. Enjoy!
