I showed a picture of Mexicali Soup in Hey, Girlfriend’s Fun and Games ’til Someone Gets Hurt post.  The day I took this picture, my mom served it with delicious toasted cheese sandwiches.  It’s also very good served with fresh baked multigrain bread, slathered in sweet butter.  Just wrap the bread in foil and throw it in a 350 degree oven, heat until the crust is crispy and the butter is melted.

 

 

The credit for this heirloom recipe goes to my childhood bff Nancy.  Her 4th grade class made a cookbook and this is the dish she contributed.  Over the years, my mom has  made this for our family as a quick, nourishing and satisfying meal.  When we were young, she typically had all of the ingredients on hand because many of them could be frozen or canned.  Now she is more likely to make this with fresh ingredients.

 

The recipe I am sharing here is from my mother’s memory, so that means you can make your own adjustments to perfect it to your taste!

 

Mexicali Soup

1 lb. Hamburger

1 Onion, chopped

3 cloves Garlic, minced

1 cup Celery, chopped

2 Carrots, sliced

1 Jalapeño Pepper, diced (to taste)

1 large can diced Tomatoes

1 can Corn and its juice, or 2 C. frozen corn, or fresh corn

1 can Green Beans and its juice, or 2 C. fresh green beans

1 Tbsn Beef Base or Boullion

2 Gold Potatoes, chopped into small bite sized pieces

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

(Sour Cream and cilantro for garnish)

 

Sauté onion, carrots, celery, garlic and beef in a tablespoon or two of olive oil; season with salt and pepper and anything else you might like and that makes sense with the existing ingredients, such as cayenne, or chili powder.

 

Add can of tomatoes and water, if needed, for soup consistency; cook for about 30 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients (except for potatoes, so that they don’t overcook) and season, again, to taste.  Cook about 20 minutes more.  Turn heat off, add potatoes, cover pot and let sit until the potatoes are cooked (maybe another 20 minutes).

A few notes:

• I made this soup for Nancy a few nights ago.  I chopped the potatoes into pieces that were slightly too large.  Some of them didn’t fully cook.  Make sure the pieces are all the same size (so that they cook at the same rate) and cut them into small bites, similar to the photo above.
• If you like spicy food, purchase an extra jalepeño, in case you need it!
• You can add a dollop of sour cream and fresh chopped cilantro for added flavor and garnish if those ingredients strike your fancy.