Caldito Food

CALDILLO

Steps:

• Brown beef and saute onions in bacon grease.
• Add diced tomatoes, chile strips, both beef and chicken broths, and all seasonings to beef and onions mixture.
• Simmer over low heat until meat is tender.
• Add cubed potatoes during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
• This freezes well before the potatoes are added.
• This mexican stew can be served with warm dinner rolls, flour tortillas, or even cornbread.
• It makes one gallon of stew.

CHEESE SOUP - CALDO DE QUESO

Steps:

• Toast the flour (no oil, no grease, just add the flour to a medium hot pan and move it until the flour color goes from white to golden or light brown) take the flour out of the pan and clean the pan with a napkin,
• Add oil to the pan and when the oil is hot add the potatoes to brown them, (the potatoes in pieces 1inch aprox) add some salt. You don't want the potatoes fully cooked because you are going to add them to the soup later, but you want them sealed.
• Take the potatoes out, then add to the same pan the garlic and the onion finely chopped, for like 2-3 minutes and add there the anaheim green peppers (if you have a gas stove you can take the peel out of the chilis if you don't nevermind) the green peppers should be finely chopped also, and mix them with the onion and garlic.
• At the end add the tomato finely chopped also, and mix it with the onion, garlic and green chiles.
• Add the toasted flour and mix.
• Add the boiling water and the chicken bouillon, salt, pepper.
• Add the potatoes and the milk, and as soon as it boils, add the cheese pieces (1 in approx) let it boil for like a minute and turn it off. (Because the cheese falls to the bottom of the soup pan and it is hard to fish for it ;) I add it to each plate at the end but thats up to you).

CALDO DE ALBONDIGAS

Steps:

• In a large pot, warm the oil and saute onions over medium low heat.
• Add tomatoes, green chile, 1 quart of beef stock, cumin and salt and pepper to taste.
• Simmer the soup over medium low heat for 30 minutes, if soup seems to thick, add some of the additional stock to thin.
• Cut the tortillas into fine silvers and mince.
• In a large bowl, mix the cut tortillas with the ground beef; add the egg, garlic, salt and pepper.
• Shape into tiny meatballs and drop into the pot of soup.
• Continue to cook on medium low until meatballs float to the top.
• Serve in individual bowls garnished with fresh cilantro.

CALDILLO -- SOUTH OF THE BORDER STEW

Steps:

• Sauté the beef and onions in the bacon drippings.
• Add tomatoes, sliced green chilies, stocks and seasonings.
• Cook over low heat until meat is tender (about two hours).
• Add cubed potatoes and carrots during last 30 minutes.

CALDILLO (NEW MEXICAN GREEN CHILE STEW)

Steps:

• Cube meat, sprinkle with salt and fry until brown in oil.
• Add potatoes to browned meat together with onion, garlic, salt, chili and enough water to cover.
• Continue to add water if necessary.
• It will have a soupy consistency.