Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Carol Taylor’s Food Column – Ajaico… A Colombian Chicken Soup.

Ajaico… A Colombian Chicken Soup.

Thank you very much for your lovely responses to my first post on my food column..It has been much harder to think of what to write about this week but I have shelved the exotic fruits until your weather warms up somewhat and am bringing to you another soup this time from Columbia.

The recipe was given to me by a good friend when I was in Phuket and it is a lovely Chicken and Potato soup which originated many moons ago in Columbia and it is now a well-known national dish. When the gales are blowing and it is a snowy, blustery winters night when the wind chill goes right down to your toes and even your wee freezes then this is just what you need.

She told me that her grandmother used to keep a pot simmering on her stove ready for when any cold mortal came to her door…It sounds to me a little like she was a welcome port in the snow storm.

I can just picture her granny standing in her kitchen serving up these luscious bowls of hot soup.

Traditionally served with thinly slice avocados, sour cream, chopped coriander and capers…..I am now salivating as I type…

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs of chicken pieces, skin on and on the bone.
• 1 1/2 lbs of potatoes……mixed varieties maybe 3 different ones.
• 2-3 Corn cut crosswise into quarters or 1 1/2 cups of frozen corn.
• 1 large brown Onion chopped roughly.
• 5 cloves of garlic, roughly cut.
• 4 cups of good chicken stock…I cook up chicken carcases.
• 1 tsp of coarse salt…I use Himalayan.
• 1 tsp  fresh ground black pepper.
• 2tbsp Olive Oil.
• I bunch of coriander ..tied.
• 1 bunch of spring Onions( green onions) …tied.
• 2tbsp dried guascas.

NB: Also known as Quick weed or Galinsoga in the US and Gallant Soldiers in the UK……It is a very prolific edible weed.

Or…You can use dried Oregano as a substitute.

Let’s Cook!

Marinade your chicken pieces with the onion, garlic, salt and pepper in the fridge for 8-24 hrs.

When ready to cook heat olive Oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan . Add the chicken and all the marinade bits. Brown the chicken on both sides about 6 minutes.

Pour the stock into the pan and raise the heat to bring to the boil, turn down and cook at a rolling simmer for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan and when it is cool enough to handle remove skin and bones. Cut or tear the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Put the potatoes in the cooking liquid and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the corn, tied spring onions, coriander and quascas( oregano). Cover pan and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.

Remove coriander and onions and return chicken to the pot and warm through.
Serve soup in individual bowls with the prepared avocado, sour cream, coriander and capers as accompaniments.

Enjoy!

Last week’s comments and especially one from Norah and her unfortunate experiences with Jack Fruit leads me to saying if you are preparing any Jackfruit before I do a post on Jackfruit then to avoid the sticky gooey disaster follow this advice… and enjoy!

Until next week when it will be some recipes to make from the exotic Thai fruit aka The Jackfruit the biggest fruit to grow on a tree and has reached some 80lbs in weight…

Thank you for visiting this column and please let me know if you have anything at all that you want me to discuss or find the recipe for.

I also thought that I may have a question and answer week so if you have any questions then fire away…I look forward to hearing from you xx

You can find my previous column in the directory: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/carol-taylors-food-column-2018/

About Carol Taylor

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetables ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use have to improve our health and wellbeing.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology:  https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

New additional Blog: http://myhealthyretirement.com/welcome-to-orienthailiving-my-first-post/

Blog: https://blondieaka.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

If you have missed previous posts in the Cook from Scratch series you can find them here: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/cook-from-scratch-with-sally-and-carol-recipes/

Thanks for dropping in and it would be great to hear from you.