Happy November! As much as I love Halloween, I’m ready to hunker down for some cooking and baking this month leading up to Thanksgiving. I have some fun cookbook reviews coming up that are perfect for the season (a giveaway of the books too). As well as some other fun surprises leading up to the end of the year.
Our weather has been chill-Y this past week. Bitter and windy feeling like winter is trying to make a stealthy entry. I love making one pot meals at this time of year. Soul-warming casseroles, crock pots, soups and stews that warm the insides and keep stomachs full.
Caldillo, or Mexican Green Chile Steak Soup is one of those recipes. It’s really more of a stew with hearty strips of London Broil, potatoes, and rich smoldering spices of cumin, chili powder and garlic.
I’m very fortunate to have a fantastic small, local market in my neighborhood where I do all my shopping. The meat department in particular has helped brainstorm ideas or educate on many an occasion. For this recipe we had a long chat about the proper cut of steak to use.
London Broil was the conclusion for the flavor, texture and that it would tenderize as the soup simmered for a few hours. It is an affordable cut of meat and one nested amongst the areas where Round Steak originates. It does not contain much marbling or fat, and the butcher pointed out that due to its appearance people often mistake it for the type of steak to be grilled and served as a whole individual steak which does not favor its best qualities. It is perfect for longer cooking and should always be sliced across the grain.
Caldillo {Mexican Green Chile Steak Soup}
Ingredients
- 2 pounds London Broil steak , cut across the grain into 1/4 inch thick strips
- 2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon White Distilled Vinegar
- 1 tablespoons Flour (gluten-free if making the dish gluten-free)
- 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon ground Cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
- 2-3 teaspoons ground Chipotle Chile Powder (regular chili powder may be substituted)
- 32 ounces (1 quart) Beef Stock
- 1 large Yellow Onion , chopped
- 1 - 14.5 ounce can Diced Tomatoes
- 4-4 ounce cans Mild Green Chilies , strips; drained and cut into 1/4-inch wide strips lengthwise
- 2 large Potatoes , peeled and cut into bite-size cubes
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the garlic powder cumin, pepper and flour. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl pour in vinegar. Place steak strips in the bowl and massage the vinegar into the steak with your hands.
- Powder bowl of flour and spices into the steak and massage the dry mixture into the steak until none remains to be incorporated.
- Heat a Dutch oven or stock pot with the olive oil over Medium-High temperature.
- Place the steak into the pot and brown lightly (5-7 minutes approximately).
- Add the remaining ingredients into the pot: chile powder, beef stock, onion, tomatoes and their liquid, green chile strips and potatoes. Bring to a low boil, lower temperature to low and allow to simmer for 1-2 hours until potatoes are soft and meat is fully cooked.
- Garnish with a bit of grated cheese (if desired) and serve with cornbread, flour or corn tortillas or quesadillas.
Tamara says
December 31, 2017 at 2:54 pmI made this soup today, it is so good. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Toni Dash says
December 31, 2017 at 6:15 pmYay! So glad you liked it! I need to make a batch soon. Happy New Year!
Finoola says
September 9, 2017 at 3:48 pmSuch a hearty soup. My family loves it!
Peggysue says
January 2, 2017 at 1:28 pmJust curious why you chose white vinegar over apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is very healthy for you and white vinegar should not be eaten as it destroys red blood cells.
Toni Dash says
January 2, 2017 at 1:58 pmHi Peggysue. This is a family recipe and has always used distilled white vinegar which has a different flavor than apple cider vinegar. Could you be confusing ‘white vinegar’ with white distilled vinegar? White distilled vinegar is used in many recipes and is safe to consume. White vinegar, which can have up to 25% acetic acid vinegar, is sold for cleaning purposes. With the names being so similar it’s understandable to mix them up! You certainly can make the soup with apple cider vinegar if you are more comfortable with that; it just will have a slightly different flavor.
Katie says
February 1, 2016 at 12:41 pmWow, just put this together for tonight’s dinner. It is fabulous!!!!! I live in a area where we can get fresh hatch chili’s every summer, so had them in the freezer to use. Followed the recipe exactly, this is my new favorite soup!!! Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!!
Toni Dash says
February 1, 2016 at 1:04 pmYay! Katie I’m so happy and delighted you took the time to leave your comment; thank you! Hatch chilies are the best and lucky you to have access to them all the time. I hope you’ll find more recipes you love on Boulder Locavore too!
Jodee Weiland says
December 4, 2013 at 10:27 pmLove this recipe! It sounds so rich, hearty, and delicious…so full of flavor. What a great soup to warm up with on a cold winter day!
Tracee says
November 6, 2013 at 1:38 pmJust got back from the store! I am subbing stew meat for the London Grill. Because I am getting a late start, I will be using my new Cuisinart electric pressure cooker. I can do everything in one pot and it should be ready in 45 minutes. It is one of my best purchases of late! Rice in 8 minutes, potatoes for mashies in 10!
I grew up eating this soup…my recipe varies a tad but yours looks amazing!
Toni Dash says
November 7, 2013 at 8:49 amI have not really dived into pressure cooking but I hear great things about! Hope you enjoyed the soup Tracee!
Viviane Bauquet Farre - Food and Style says
November 5, 2013 at 7:36 pmThis looks like such a great, comforting cold-weather soup, Toni!
Toni Dash says
November 7, 2013 at 7:33 pmThank you Viviane!
Meagan says
November 4, 2013 at 11:32 amWhat a gorgeous soup, Toni! I love everything with green chiles in it, and this soup is no exception. Lovely!
Jodee Weiland says
November 3, 2013 at 9:27 pmThis looks delicious! I love the spicy seasonings used here. This recipe sounds great…can’t wait to try it!
Theresa @ Delicacious says
November 3, 2013 at 4:32 pmLovely soup! Perfect for cold days. Thank you for sharing.
Liz says
November 3, 2013 at 11:27 amThank you for the nice recipe. Have a good week!
john@kitchenriffs says
November 3, 2013 at 9:12 amLovely soup! It’s been ages and ages since I’ve had this. Your version looks particularly nice – thanks for this.
Debra says
November 3, 2013 at 7:18 amSo, you are making it hard for me to keep with my cookbook pledge! I am making this today for weeknight suppers.
Toni Dash says
November 3, 2013 at 9:06 amLet’s just imagine I’m going to write a cookbook someday and your choice to sample my cyber recipes is ‘market research’ before you buy. Does that help your cause?
Debra says
November 3, 2013 at 10:31 amYes, indeedy! 🙂