Great Mexican Soups for Fall: Fall Soups With Sabor

When the leaves begin to turn, and there is a little nip in the air, it's time to think about a change in menu, and soups for fall dinners are perfect for easing into the chillier months. Mexican cuisine includes many soups, and having lived in an agricultural area of Mexico for a few years, I realized that much as with my own soups, my Mexican friends could whip up a soup out of rather simple ingredients, particularly those that grew well in the area.

There are specific soups that are well known, and there are simple vegetable soups, as well. One of the things that distinguishes Mexican soups, for me, is the use of condiments in many of them. Try your homemade chicken soup sometime, with a little shredded cabbage, diced onion, and a squeeze of lime. Crumble some tortilla chips in. Add a couple of sprigs of cilantro, or a tablespoon or two of chopped cilantro. Yum! The thought makes my mouth water! In fact, this is the beginning of a Chicken tortilla soup!

Essentially, tortilla soup is just your typical chicken soup, with the addition of cooked pinto beans, corn, and condiments on the side. Chicken stock works well, but in a pinch, use chicken bouillon (Knorr works really well) to flavor the broth, or to enhance it. I recommend going easy on celery and carrot, staples to my more midwest style chicken soup, and using lots of onion and corn. You will find complete directions in the tortilla soup link, above.

Albondigas, or meatballs, make for a hearty and satisfying soup for the fall, and while I love the soup immensely, I find that I am often pressed for time, not wanting to make the meatballs. I do a taste alike version, and use barley. You'll find my Albondigas-like soup here. If you want to take the time to do meatballs, instead, just turn your ground beef into small meatballs, and fry them a bit in the pan, before you get your broth going. My recipe uses barley, but rice is traditional, and makes the meal hearty and filling.

I don't use peppers in the version that I make, but dried pasilla peppers can be used to flavor your broth further.

Posole is another simple, chicken soup, though many people use beef or pork in their versions. Essentially, the chosen meat, and bones, are boiled to create the broth. I use onions, and chicken leg quarters. I remove the bones after the cooking, but some people leave them in their soups.

When the bones are removed, the meat goes back into the pot, along with hominy and red chile sauce. I incorporate my (bought) chile sauce, while some put the chile on the side. I keep it on the less spicy side, for the sake of the kids, and allow those who like their soup a little more picosa to add more.

Posole is warming because of the broth, and the chile. It's filling, because of the hominy, and the condiments. My family piles them on, and probably ingests more of the condiments than the soup. Shredded cabbage, chopped onion and cilantro, sliced radishes, and lime juice. Don't forget the tostadas, or chips. Plenty!

My favorite style of bowl for posole is a flat, wide soup bowl, and the kids often place their chosen condiments in their bowls first, ladeling the soup over at the end, and topping everything off with squeezed lime. You'll find my Posole recipe here, developed simply by observing the soups I ate in Mexican homes, and by trial and error. I served this up for a men's gathering, and was complimented greatly by both Mexican and American men in attendance. Making a big pot provides a couple of days' fare for my large family, and I stretch it out with extra hominy added during the week.

When you think of fall soups, I bet it hasn't occured to you to make a breakfast soup. However, in my view, that's what Arroz Con Leche is. As with many Mexican dishes, this favorite can be made in many different ways, and I developed mine based on what I tasted.

I use evaporated milk, along with water, and boil the rice. The ratio for simply making rice is 2 parts water to 1 part rice. I increase the fluids to 3-4 parts. In a rush, I use ground cinnamon, but you can also use a whole cinnamon stick for flavoring. I add vanilla, to taste, to the fluids. The rice is allowed to cook for about 20 minutes at a simmer, after first having been brought to a boil. When the rice is tender, I add sugar to taste, and serve it up hot. For my younger kiddos, I add a splash of milk from the refrigerator, to cool a bit. You'll find my complete Arroz Con Leche recipe here.

You may also enjoy some of the following articles that I've written, how to's on other Mexican flavors: Horchata, Sopa Fideo, and Pinto Bean Soup. I've also written about our favorite Mexican Candies and Snacks. Finally, you may find some of the Mexican celebrations interesting.