SpiceLines

I actually discovered Tomy Gomez’s eatery about a year ago, on a rainy November afternoon when I was craving hot soup to banish the sniffles. Fajita Taco Place is in a tacky strip mall next to a nail salon. The first surprise was the restaurant’s plain but neat interior: creamy stucco walls hung with surreal paintings of calla lilies, scarcely a dozen tables in the main dining room.

The second surprise was the caldo tlalpeno.

This savory chicken and vegetable soup is on a lot of menus around town, but I was rocked by what arrived at the table: a big bowl brimming with rich homemade broth spiced with a smoky chipotle chile and a spoonful of thick adobo flavored with ancho chiles, tomato and a little vinegar. The adobo (which comes in the can with the chiles) burnished the soup, turning it bright orange, lending fire and a touch of smoke to the rest of the ingredients: shredded chicken, carrots, chunks of potato, squash, rice and a few chickpeas. Just before serving, the cook had showered a handful of cilantro over the soup and added a few creamy chunks of ripe avocado.

If there’s a better soup anywhere in the universe, I haven’t found it.

In the kitchen, Gabriel Mauricio Almaguer sizzles fajita strips
for the restaurant's popular breakfast tacos.

This morning Gabriel Mauricio Almaguer, who makes this amazing caldo tlalpeno, sits down to talk for a few minutes. A wiry young man from Guanajuato with short, spiky hair and eyes that sparkle with good humor, he’s been cooking around San Antonio for the last eight years, three of them at the Fajita Taco Place. (There are two branches, one on McCullough and another on De Zavala, and he splits his day between them.) The caldo is one of the restaurant’s most requested dishes. “We serve about a dozen bowls everyday, “ he says. Later he takes me into the narrow kitchen where he starts sizzling fajita strips for a late breakfast order while a girl makes corn tortillas on a handpress.

Tlalpeno, incidently, comes from tlalpan, an ancient Nahuatl word meaning “on the earth.” Today Tlalpan is one of the outlying southern districts of Mexico City where the soup apparently was “invented.” Once a small pre-Hispanic Indian village, it later became a Spanish colonial agricultural town that was eventually absorbed by the capital city’s voracious sprawl. And indeed, this is a farmer’s soup: hearty with vegetables, rich with chicken, spiced with chiles—all ingredients from the barnyard and garden.

The caldo is simple to make, but it relies on excellent ingredients. Gabriel makes his own chicken broth, boiling a whole bird in 4 quarts of water until it releases its rich, intense flavor, and so should you. If you cheat and use the pallid canned or packaged stuff, you’ll be missing the entire point. And don’t be shy with the adobo sauce. One tablespoon is the bare minimum, but really you should use two or even three for the best smoky, spicy flavor.

A word about the rice: We didn’t discuss it, but it seems to me that Gabriel used arroz dorado—rice that has been sautéed until it is golden brown, then simmered in chicken broth. You can always add cooked white rice instead, but taking the time to gild the grains results in an even richer soup.

Of course, the caldo will be even better if you make your way to the Fajita Taco Place. But if not, here’s a recipe for a reasonable facsimile.

Fajita Taco Place, 8315 McCullough Avenue, San Antonio, Texas 78216. Phone: 210/349-7276. Fax: 210/344-7276. Also, 4503 De Zavala Road, 78230. Phone: 210/493-8878.

Caldo Tlalpeno with Chicken, Avocado and Smoky Chipotle Chiles

Serves four people

Ingredients:

A 3-1/2 pound chicken, cut into pieces
4 quarts water
3 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
½ head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
1 canned chipotle chile
1 or more tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chiles
4 small, or 2 medium, russet potatoes, peeled
2 medium carrots, peeled
1 or 2 yellow squash
1-1/2 cups cooked rice (see note)
½ cup canned chickpeas, rinsed
1 cup chopped cilantro
2 ripe avocados
Lime wedges for garnish

Method:

1. Combine the chicken, water, salt and garlic in a large soup pot and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat, but keep the liquid at a low boil. Skim the froth as necessary. In an hour, taste the broth: it should have a rich chicken flavor. If not, continue cooking a little longer.
2. When the broth is ready, remove from the flame and let cool. Take out the chicken pieces and set aside. Decant the broth into containers and refrigerate until cold or overnight. There should be about 10 cups.
3. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken and discard. Shred the meat coarsely with your fingers, not too fine. Set aside or, if making ahead, refrigerate overnight. The recipe can be prepared ahead to this point.
4. When you are ready to make the soup, cut the potatoes into one-inch chunks. Thinly slice the carrots on the diagonal. Cut the squash in half and thinly slice on the diagonal.
5. Remove the broth from the refrigerator and discard the fat that has congealed on top. If the shredded chicken has been refrigerated, take it out so that it can come to room temperature. Pour the broth into a large pot and stir in the chipotle chile and the adobo sauce. Add the potatoes and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a cheerful simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes can easily be pierced with the tip of a knife. Add the squash and cook for another 7 to 8 minutes. Add the cooked rice and chickpeas. Taste and correct seasonings, adding salt and more adobo if desired. Keep the soup at a simmer.
6. To assemble each serving, use a slotted spoon to remove about ¾ cup of rice and vegetables from the broth and place in a bowl. Top with ½ cup or more shredded chicken. Ladle hot broth over the ingredients in each bowl—the soup should be fairly liquid and the broth should almost cover the vegetables.
7. Just before serving, sprinkle chopped cilantro over each bowl of soup. Cut the avocados in half and remove the seed. Scoop out the avocado flesh with a spoon and add to each bowl. Garnish with wedges of lime.
8. Serve with handmade corn tortillas, or, failing that, with hunks of crusty bread.

Note: To make the rice, in a skillet sauté ½ chopped onion in 3 tablespoons olive oil for 3 minutes or until it softens. Add a scant cup of long grain white rice and sauté until the grains turn golden brown. Stir frequently and do not allow the rice to burn. Add 1-1/2 cups chicken broth and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, cover and turn the heat to the lowest setting. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside. It’s all right if the rice is a little chewy—it will cook a bit more in the soup.