A very sweet friend 'eLLe' has reminded me of a dish I grew up with as a child and I never knew the 'proper name' for it. I always called it that 'chicken and rice soup' when all along it had a perfectly good name :o) Arroz Caldo...
Recipe courtesy of eLLe! Hopefully she will be blogging soon *hint hint!* and then I can point you out to her blog so she can wow you with her gastronomical knowledge ;o) In the meantime, she has prompted me to post her recipe with pictures so she could see how I fared :o) I hope she is not disappointed in my attempt. There are many recipes for this on the net. I'm already partial to hers and if you try it, you'll see why :o) Just like mom used to make! I'm not one for listing ingredients and then relisting them in the process so I will give you the recipe the way that I take it down. You can make a separate shopping list based on whatever ingredients you might still need.
Arroz Caldo 'eLLe STYLe'
In a preheated pot with heat set to medium, (I used my risotto pot from Le Creuset *LOVE IT*), add a couple of tablespoons of oil.
To the preheated pan add:
about 3" of peeled fresh ginger root, sliced thinly
about 1/2 cup of onion, chopped
and 4 cloves of garlic, chopped.
Saute onions, garlic and ginger for 2-3 min. and add chicken drummettes or chicken thighs (I used drummettes, approx. 3lbs.) and lightly brown.
Add 2 cups of Calrose rice *eLLe's recommendation :o)* and stir another minute or so. Add approximately 8 cups of water or chicken broth (I always opt for broth for the maximum flavor) and cover. Allow to simmer for about 2 hours. Be sure to keep stirring so the rice doesn't stick. To finish, a pinch of azafran for color. You can find this at most hispanic /asian grocery stores :o) http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/equivalents_substitutions.asp?index=A&tid=1950 . It's not the same as saffron, but well worth having in your pantry.
For the salt in this recipe, you can use kosher salt (my family's preference) or patis (a fish sauce). I would add approximately 2 teaspoons to start of either one, your choice. Don't be nervous about the 2 teaspoons, this recipe makes a lot! At least 9-10 cups of soup. You can half it if you like.
Depending on your preference for a thicker, heartier soup or a brothy soup, you may or may not decide to add more liquid(water or broth) as you are cooking along. Either way, I promise you will end up with something that will keep them coming back for more. All that ginger can't be bad :o) Ginger is so good for the digestive system. Today wasn't a cold day here yet the soup was very refreshing and made the whole house smell heavenly :o)
There are many variations for this, from adding a hard cooked egg, green onions or a squeeze of fresh lime juice (which I really did want to try, forgot the lime :o( ) Not to worry, I'll be making it again REALLY SOON!
This was one recipe that made me pick up the phone and call my mom and sister for a trip down memory lane and to thank my mom yet again for such a great childhood memory! Thanks to eLLe for bringing this memory back to my table to share with my family.
