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Mexico, Americas

Caldo de Res

Mexico's comforting beef and vegetable soup: bone-in shank simmered slowly with corn, carrots, potatoes, squash and cabbage, finished with lime and chile.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time2 h 20 min
DifficultyMedium

Method

  1. Rinse the beef shank under cold water and put it in a 4 L pot with the water, half of the onion (in one piece), the peeled garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and half of the salt. Bring to the boil on high heat; for the first 10 minutes keep skimming off the grey foam that rises so the broth stays clear. Turn down to low heat, set the lid slightly ajar and simmer gently for , until the meat is tender enough to pull apart with a fork.

    Add in this stepBone-in beef shank 550 gWater 2.2 LWhite onion ½Garlic cloves 3Bay leaves 1Whole black peppercorns 6Salt ¾ tsp

    high heat→low heat

  2. While the meat simmers, prepare the vegetables. Peel the carrot and cut it into 4 cm chunks; peel the potatoes and cut them in half (quarters if large). Cut the corn cob into 3–4 cm rounds with a heavy knife. Peel the chayote, remove the soft seed and cut it into wedges; cut the zucchini into 3 cm chunks. Cut the cabbage into wedges, leaving a little core on each so they hold together. For serving, finely chop the remaining onion, the cilantro and the chile, and cut the lime into wedges.

  3. Lift out and discard the onion piece and bay leaves. Add the carrot, potatoes and corn, bring back to a gentle bubble on medium heat and cook for . If the broth no longer covers the vegetables, add a little hot water.

    Add in this stepCarrot 1Medium potato 2Corn on the cob (fresh or frozen) 1

    medium heat

  4. Add the chayote, zucchini, cabbage and the rest of the salt and simmer on medium heat for , until a knife slides easily into the potatoes and the cabbage is soft but still green. Taste the broth and add a little more salt if needed.

    Add in this stepChayote (or one more zucchini) ½Small zucchini 1White cabbage 150 gSalt ¾ tsp

    medium heat

  5. Meanwhile heat a dry frying pan on medium-high heat and warm the tortillas one or two at a time, about 30 seconds per side, for in total, until soft and lightly spotted. Stack them in a clean tea towel to keep warm.

    Add in this stepCorn tortillas 4

    medium-high heat

  6. Put a piece of meat (with the bone, if you like the marrow) and some of each vegetable in deep bowls and ladle the hot broth over. Serve the chopped onion, cilantro and chile on the side and squeeze lime over at the table.

    Add in this stepWhite onion ½Fresh cilantro 8 gSerrano or jalapeño chile 1Lime 1

Cook's tip

Bone-in shank gives the broth body; boneless stewing beef works, but the broth is lighter. Once skimmed, never let it boil hard or the broth turns cloudy. It is even better the next day: chill, lift off the solid fat and reheat.

Cooking it at camp

For camping, simmer the meat at home the day before, cool it in its broth and carry it in a sealed container in a well-iced cooler. At camp, bring it to the boil in a large pot on the burner and cook the vegetables in it as in steps 3 and 4; warm the tortillas straight on the grill.