Christmas Soup
Christmas Soup
Also known as Hallaca Soup. This is a recipe from the Caracas aristocracy, given to me by the Venezuelan composer Josefina Punceles de Benedetti. Here I share the recipe exactly as she gave it to me, and in the video you will see the variations I made (I blended a lot of sweet peppers and some paprika, I used Castel Gandolfo sherry instead of regular sherry, and I added garlic).
THE ORIGINAL RECIPE
1 hen (or two chickens)
6 chicken bouillon cubes
4 leeks for the broth
2 leeks, sliced into rounds
4 large carrots
1/4 kg of onion
1 round or piece of unrefined cane sugar (panela) about 4 fingers long
1 kg 1 can of peeled, seeded tomatoes with their juice
1 small jar of tomato puree
1 jar (260 g) of pickles in mustard
1 small jar of olives
1 small jar of capers
1 bottle of sherry
50 g of blanched almonds
A few drops of vinegar
The day before:
Place the chicken in a pot with 4 liters of water, bouillon cubes, leeks, and carrots.
Boil for one hour; turn the chicken over and boil for another hour.
Remove from the heat and leave covered until the next day. (MY VARIATION IS THAT I MAKE IT THE SAME DAY OUT OF DESPERATION)
The same day:
Remove the chicken and cut it into medium-sized pieces.
Sauté the onion and the 2 leeks.
Strain the broth and add the chicken, piloncillo (or brown sugar), the sautéed vegetables, tomatoes, and a tablespoon of salt.
Bring to a boil. Add the chopped pickles, the sliced carrot from the broth, tomato puree, olives, capers, almonds, sherry, and a few drops of vinegar. (I recommend tasting to see if it needs vinegar; I think this should be to taste, and on this occasion, I didn't add any because I felt it was acidic enough. Of course, the sweetness of the unrefined cane sugar balances the flavors.)