visit 1 to Mexico

It was a bit chilly for most of the week and I looooove eating hot and savory soups to warm up. This soup isn't specific to Mexico; similar to my last post it is found in many varieties all over the world. Caldo de Res basically means "Beef soup", and I absolutely adore this recipe. Find yourself a good butcher for the meat dishes I'm making, for goodness sake. The flavor of food is highly affected by the quality of ingredients you use. This soup allows for a lot of creativity. You can use whatever vegetables tickle your fancy!

Caldo de Res

2-3 lbs beef shank or neck bones
1 onion, chopped
1-2 tomatoes, chopped
3-4 bottles beer (I've tried a few different brands, but I prefer using a sweeter amber like Fat Tire)
4-5 bottles of water (just re-fill your beer bottles)
2 ripe plantains (black)
2 medium russet potatoes
1 can corn (or 4 halved ears of corn)
5 celery stalks, large chunks
4 carrots, large chunks
1/2 head green cabbage, roughly chopped
1 bunch cilantro
2-3 limes

Sear your beef bones over high heat until they get a nice crust on them. Alternatively, you can roast them on low heat for a few hours with the carrots and potatoes in the pan. The taters get a great texture this way and the meat has a lovely flavor. Either way the soup turns out well. I use both methods according to how much time I have on hand. My instructions are for short-preparation. Once the beef is nicely seared, add the onion and continue on high heat for ~2 min. Salt liberally. Add all the beer at once, and then add the water. Bring to a simmer for at least 1 hour, more if you have time.

Remove beef bones and allow to cool before removing as much meat as possible to add to the soup. Keep the stock boiling! Taste and salt very lightly; it should taste fairly bland still. Add the plantain and carrot, simmer ~10 minutes. Add chopped potatoes and corn, simmer ~10 min. Add celery, cabbage, simmer ~5 min. Serve in a large bowl with a liberal amount of lime juice and a nice sprinkle of cilantro. This is supposed to be a very rustic dish, so cut your vegetables in nice large chunks!

The picture doesn't do it justice. The veggies have a great color and should be cooked lightly enough that they have great texture. The ripe plantain gives a surprising savory sweetness that contrasts beautifully with the salty acidity of the broth. If you want a more starchy effect, use the green/yellow plantain. Sometimes I buy them and store them in the cupboard until they're scary black. The blacker they are, the sweeter they taste.

I have a ton of leftovers of this soup, which was fine because it was all I wanted to eat for 2 days after making it. A winner!