Photo:
http://www.pbase.com/that_rich/image/71675056
When I was in my 20's, I remember my mother telling me that she was
going to visit Chichen Itza and Merida. Her main reason, she said, was
to get Yucatan Lime Soup (Sopa de Lima) in its home base. While I had
it in the U.S., I wanted it to be the first thing that I ate in
Merida... and that, it was. I took the photo above at a restaurant in
Merida called Frutas y Flores. The recipe below, however, isn't from
there... it is from another restaurant where I have eaten it in the
Mayaland Resort just outside the gate of Chichen Itza in Yucatan.
Yucatan Lime Soup is really not much different from a chicken tortilla
soup. A sweeter lime from the Yucatan makes it better, but regular
limes will work. Key limes work well, also.
While this seems like a lot of work, you can use canned chicken broth,
too.
INGREDIENTS....PART ONE: THE BROTH
2 turkey or 4 chicken wings
1 turkey or 2 chicken carcasses
2 tablespoons cooking salt
1/2 sweet lime (substitute Persian lime if not available)
1 spring fresh mint (or dried equivalent)
8 whole allspice berries
15 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon fresh oregano (or dried equivalent of 1 teaspoon)
1 stick cinnamon
5 whole cloves
2 medium heads of garlic (about 20 average sized cloves)
2 medium yellow onions, peeled, cut and diced
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
some cheesecloth
some wire bag ties or string
PART TWO: THE SOUP
2 quarts salpimentado broth
1 turkey or 2 chicken breasts
3 sweet limes
2 tomatoes
1 guero or chilaca chili (pepper), veins & seeds removed
1 habanero chili (pepper), veins & seeds removed
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
1/2 cup chopped epasote (wormseed)
6 tortillas
1 lemon
Serves / Yields
8 to 12 servings (depending on your appetite!)
Preparation Instructions
PART TWO....THE BROTH
=========
Place the wings and carcasses in four quarts of cold water. If they are
not covered, add water to cover. Season with the salt, more or less
depending on your personal taste, and boil. Remove the scum as it forms
on the surface of the broth.
Three ways to prepare the spices (garlic, peppercorns, allspice,
oregano, cinnamon, cloves, and cumin seeds). If you are using dried
oregano no need to roast or toast.
1. Toast lightly in a toaster oven or regular oven, taking care not to
burn them. Toast the garlic with the spices. It is done when the garlic
is a light to medium golden color.
2. Roast them in a cast iron skillet. You will know they are done when
the cumin seeds begin to pop and a delicious aroma is wafting off them.
Take care not to burn or over-roast.
3. I own a spice roaster. Basically a mesh basket which I can hold over
an open flame and shake to roast the spices.
Grind the spices, without the garlic, until you have a medium powder.
You can use a spice grinder, I prefer a mortar and pestle. If you are
using dried mint you should add it to this spice bag as well. Put into
a 4" square of doubled cheesecloth and tie off with the bag ties or
string.
At any time, add the onions, garlic, spice bag, lime and mint to your
broth. Reduce over a low heat to about 10 cups. This should take about
one hour.
When done, strain the entire mixture through a sieve or cheesecloth.
Discard the bones, spice bag & vegetables. Cool and skim grease from
surface. You now have salpimentado broth! This can be kept and served
as a broth or used for the second half of our menu...
THE SOUP
========
Roast the tomatoes in the oven at about 400 degrees. When the skin
begins to split and the tomato smokes a bit, pull away the skin. Remove
the seeds with the aid of a teaspoon, fry the tomato into a puree and
season with salt and pepper.
Peel and section the limes.
Toast the habanero and guero / chilaca chilies in the oven until the
skin is a medium brown. The best habaneros are orange, they are riper.
Boil the turkey or chicken breasts in the broth with the lime sections,
the guero/chilaca chili, tomato puree, cilantro and epasote. Dried
ingredients are okay to use, just reduce the amounts accordingly. Fresh
epazote is almost impossible to buy in the US.
When the meat is cooked, remove from the broth and allow to cool.
Reduce the heat on the other ingredients and allow to simmer.
While this is boiling, cut the tortillas into strips and either fry in
a bit of oil to make them crispy or bake in the oven.
When the meat is cool to your touch shred into small strips and add
back to the broth. Bring back to a boil.
Add the tortilla strips to the soup just prior to serving.
Thanks to the Mayaland website for the above recipe:
Jack