Mexico by the Glass
By Dick Avery; Photos by Janet Avery

Soup season

The quest for authentic Mexican cuisine and wine continues with this article focusing mainly on sopas (soups). Subsequent articles will highlight various other authentic Mexican dishes.

Cooler weather is in our future! Chase the blues and chills away with a bowl of Caldo Xochitl. It is a warm soup with a base of rich chicken broth, to which is added rice (some use vermicelli), bits of shredded chicken, cilantro, diced tomatoes, onions and avocado. This flavorful dish can be a meal in itself, and you can let your creativity rock and roll with “tweaks” such as oregano, chiles, radishes, garbanzo beans and limes. It is usually eaten with crispy tostadas. Ramp it up with a bottle of Monte Xanic “Vina Kristel” Sauvignon Blanc. Light and satisfying!

Another authentic dish is Consome y Pollo, an easy combination of chicken broth and generous portions of garlic and onion, cooked down for two hours. White rice is added and a tender-as-a-mother’s-love chicken thigh or breast tops it off. Simmered for another half hour or so and served with warm tortillas, it’s simple and delicious. A glass or two of the Casa Madero Chenin Blanc will make this taste treat sing.

Create a flavor riot in your mouth with a bowl of Pozole. It’s a sort of “crossover” dish in that it can be made hearty enough to be a stew or light enough to be a delicious soup. The traditional pre-Columbian blend of hominy, bits of pork (chicken or beef are used also) and chili pepper in an intense beef broth can be “beefed up” (pun intended) with limes, chopped raw onion, diced radishes, cilantro and lettuce. Serve with some crispy tostadas. Honoring the Mexican tri-color, it can be made “green” with the addition of spinach or green tomatoes; white, made with just the hominy and pork in the broth; or red, with the addition of red chili powder. Let it lead you to a bottle of Echelon Pinot Noir for a “Pinot with Pozole” night.

Not to be missed is the somewhat ubiquitous Tortilla Soup. Give your taste buds a treat with this traditional but oh-so-flavorful combination that has unlimited “tweakability.” (It’s sometimes referred to as Sopa Azteca, usually without cheese, but this seems to be more of a Tex-Mex concoction.)


Get the all-purpose chicken broth working with chicken strips, diced tomatoes and some sweet corn. Add a little vegetable oil and chili powder. After 10 minutes of simmering, pour over strips of tortilla and a generous portion of Chihuahua cheese, sprinkle with cilantro, squirt in some lime juice and prepare to enjoy. It has flavors on its flavors! I’d go with some more Echelon Pinot Noir with this dish.

No article about sopas mexicanas is complete without including Menudo. Usually a spicy soup, it’s made from tripe (cow’s stomach). The personification of “slow food,” it can take several hours to make and can include beef feet and tendons, onions, chili paste, hominy and mucho ajo (lotsa garlic)! It also has a reputation for curing hangovers since it tends to cause sweating.

Like Pozole, it has many variations. In northwestern Mexico, blanco is the most common. In the northeast, you’re more likely to find the tinto, or red adaptation. In the southeast, it is usually served without corn. Let your imagination lead the way. With all the spices and garlic, you’ll need a stout red wine to stand up to them. A Casa Madero Merlot here will do the trick.

Even though it doesn’t qualify as a sopa, I include Chiles en Nogada as a famous seasonal dish (usually prepared only in August and September when the ingredients are in season) and it commemorates Mexico’s Independence Day, September 16.)

 It’s thoroughly Mexican and absolutely dee-lish! Augustinian nuns in Puebla first prepared it using local ingredients to honor Agustín de Iturbide, who was passing through on his way to Mexico City after he signed the Treaty of Cordoba in Veracruz, which granted Mexico its independence in August of 1821. The colorful dish is composed of a fried green chile poblano, stuffed with ground beef, pork, fruits and spices, smothered in a sweetened white walnut sauce, and sprinkled with red pomegranate seeds, to represent the Mexican tri-colors of green, white and red.

I’m indebted to several people who helped me with this article: Kirsten West, a chef and champion/enthusiast of Mexican cuisine; Irma Valenzuela, whose family has been cooking the true Mexican way for 35 years here at Café Colon; the folks at Los Milagros Restaurant; the chef at La Alborada; and Alvaro Zubeldia Grave at Restaurante Correo.

Dick Avery is head sipper at VinoClubSMA, a club devoted to the enjoyment of Mexican wines. Visit his website at www.vinoclubsma.com  or contact him at vinoclubsma@gmail.com.