Sopa de Lima (aka Lime Soup)

Sopa de Lime is a traditional Yucatan Lime Soup. Now before you write off this soup by its name, let’s take a little bit more of a look at the ingredients and how they play off each other.

Literally translated as “lime soup”, this is more of a spicy chicken with tomato soup. Contrary to the name, limes are not the major ingredient in this savory soup. Limes are used to provide a nice tang to the soup.

It is basically a chicken vegetable soup flavored with limes and made nicely hot (if desired) with a touch of hot peppers. The avocado offers a smooth, creamy element that plays very nicely off the tang, acid and heat.

The soup is a light but filling dish. It is a great and different soup which can be served with dinner or by itself.

As a step saver, do not hesitate to use the meat of a rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Also, you are in control of the heat, if you wish to have none then omit the hot peppers.

There are variations of this recipe that call for Chihuahua or Monterey Jack cheese. I personally do not feel that it is necessary for the recipes. So shave off a few calories by omission of the cheese.

Ingredients:

• 8 cups chicken stock
• 8 ozs corn tortillas (about 6), cut into 1 inch strips
• 6 whole cloves
• 2 avocados, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 stick of Mexican cinnamon, broken up *
• 1 lb chicken breast, chopped into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 lime, sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 6 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano **
• Sea Salt to taste
• Vegetable oil

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F
2. Toss the cinnamon, oregano, and cloves onto a baking sheet and toast for about 5 minutes - make sure not to burn - check after about three minutes
3. Transfer the spices to a bowl and set aside to cool
4. Pour the chicken stock into a saucepan and bring to a boil
5. Add the spices and then reduce the heat to a simmer - simmer for 10 minutes
6. Strain the stock into another pot to remove the spices
7. Bring the stock back to a simmer and add the chicken and simmer for 10 minutes
8. Pour in the lime juice, and season with salt to taste
9. Meanwhile, pour a 1/4 inch of oil into a skillet set over medium-high heat
10. When the oil is hot, add a few strips of tortilla, and cook for about 30 seconds or until crisp
11. Drain these on a plate covered with paper towels - repeat with the rest of the strips
12. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each bowl with tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro, and lime slices

* Mexican Cinnamon - Canela is the Spanish word for cinnamon. The cinnamon used in Mexican cooking is the softer loose-bark variety grown in Ceylon rather than the more commonly found hard-stick cinnamon.

** Mexican Oregano - Mediterranean and Mexican oregano are two different plants, but because they are used in the same way and have a somewhat similar flavor they are both called oregano. Mexican oregano is stronger and less sweet, well-suited to the spicy, hot, cumin-flavored dishes of Mexico and Central America- perfect for chili and salsa