This was not the scenery
I expected to see as I made my way north after a brief stay
in Mexico City. Through the bus window I saw endless gray sky,
bits of sleet, ice-glazed nopales. Befuddled cattle grouped
together along the side of the road, dejectedly attempting to
munch spears of grass sheathed in ice. The driver inched the
bus slowly down slick inclines.
From my perspective, it looked as though the bus occupied
both narrow lanes, its wheels just missing the neat white crosses
that marked the spots where previous travelers met untimely
vehicular deaths. Shrill screams and cries of "Oh, God -" the
soundtrack to Twister, our video entertainment - punctuated
every lurch and jolt. The toll highway leading to Nuevo Laredo
had already been closed. Rather than return to Monterrey, our
driver took us back to the old two lane route. It had been a
strange trip, punctuated by unexpected reunions, wrong numbers,
and an earthquake whose tremors I at first attributed to my
own nausea ("I can't catch my balance, it feels like the floor
is moving... oh, the floor is moving!"). It seemed fitting
that the return would also take an unforeseen turn.
Doubling back somehow altered the journey for me, forced me
to concentrate less on my destination and more on my immediate
surroundings. There weren't many of us on the bus, the only
one to head north that morning. We shrugged our shoulders in
resignation at our mutual plight. Most of the passengers pulled
their jackets up to their chins and dozed through the steady
chug of the engine. Unlike the stifling night bus from Mexico
City to Monterrey, the heater on this one had stopped working
a couple of hours into the trip. Bundled into every warm piece
of clothing I had carried, I watched my breath condense on the
window and dreamed of caldo.
Caldo Tlalpeño Ingredients
-
8 cups chicken stock (homemade is best, but you can use
canned)
-
4 carrots
-
2 small zucchini
-
1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed
-
2 tomatoes (or one 16 ounce can of chopped tomatoes)
-
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans (or one 16 oz. can, drained
and rinsed)
-
2 chilis chipotle, either dried or canned
-
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
-
2 cups cooked rice
-
2 avocados
Cut the carrots and zucchini into bite-sized chunks. Slice
the green beans in half. Peel and seed the tomatoes, and cut
into chunks. Bring the stock to a gentle simmer.
Add the carrots, green beans, and tomatoes. Simmer together
for ten minutes, and add the zucchini and garbanzos. Heat for
another ten minutes, until the zucchini is crisp tender.
Drop in the chilis, and let simmer for five more minutes.
Remove the chilis from the broth, and slice into strips. Peel
and dice the avocado. Have a bowl ready for each diner.
Into each bowl, spoon some rice, some chicken, some avocado,
and a few strips of chili. Ladle the broth and vegetables over
the other ingredients. |
