Sopa de milpa by Angeles Ayala
This pre-Hispanic recipe uses vegetables which have been harvested from the 'milpa' (the corn field), such as sweetcorn, courgettes and delicious fresh poblanos. Poblanos give this soup a fresh flavour with a gentle heat and the soft tortillas are the perfect accompaniment to serve with this chunky soup.
Serves 4 persons.
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion (finely chopped)
1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)
250g of fresh sweetcorn kernels (cut from 2 uncooked corn cobs)
2 medium courgettes (cut into small strips)
125g green beans (cut into pieces)
1/2 tsp dried Epazote
(or 2 sprigs coriander)
1 litre of chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt and freshly ground pepper (or to taste)
Roast the poblano chillies by putting them directly over a flame on your gas hob (or on a heavy-based dry frying pan
over the heat), turning carefully so burning the outside until the skins are charred. Put the roasted chillies in a plastic bag, wrap the bag in a tea towel and leave them to sweat for at least 15 minutes. Remove the chillies from the bag and peel away charred skins, rinse them under cold running water and discard the stems and seeds. Pat dry and slice lengthwise into strips.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, sauté the onion until soft, then add the garlic, chillies and the rest
of the vegetables, sauté for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Then add the epazote and gently simmer for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.
Season to taste, then serve the soup straight away with warm soft corn tortillas wrapped in a tea towel.