The Mexican Slow Cooker: Recipes for Mole, Enchiladas, Carnitas, Chile Verde Pork, and More Favorites (7 page)

Remove and discard the husks and silk from the corn and cut the kernels from each cob. You should have about 3 cups of kernels. Reserve the cobs.

In a 10-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion, corn kernels, and coriander. Cover and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened but not brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a 5-quart slow cooker.

Add the corncobs, zucchini, water, and salt to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Just before serving, remove and discard the corncobs and stir in the epazote. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and top each with a spoonful of
crema
.

Healthful and sustaining
atoles,
soups and drinks made from corn, are an ancient Mexican tradition. I once had this bright green soup at the Xochimilco market south of Mexico City, where it was paired with a warm cake of fresh ground corn toasted on an earthenware
comal;
it was like tasting Mexico as it was five hundred years ago. This historic area, which is close to the small farms that have fed the city for a thousand years, is a stronghold of traditional pre-Spanish culture and cooking. Despite being vegan and nearly fat-free,
chileatole
is filling and satisfying, so serve it in small portions. Use a light hand with the salt; the soup is mildly sweet from the corn.

In a 10-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and all the chiles and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft and pale gold, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a 5-quart slow cooker.

Place the corn in a food processor and pulse several times, until the kernels are broken up but it is not quite smooth. Add the corn to the slow cooker along with the water and salt. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Stir in the epazote, cilantro, and pepper. Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender and puree until velvety smooth, or use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the slow cooker, which will result in a soup with more texture. If necessary, thin the soup with a little water. Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.

Thanks to waves of European immigrants who arrived in the early twentieth century, the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua produces remarkable cheeses. Most are made for export to other parts of the country, but small local dairies still craft young cheeses from raw cows’ milk that are never refrigerated. The creamy flavor and melting texture of these old-fashioned cheeses speaks worlds about the goodness of simple country food. This rustic soup is usually made with
menonita
or Chihuahua cheese, which melts with the heat of the broth. Soft Muenster or a mild Gouda is a good substitute.

Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add the tomato and cook, stirring frequently, until the pan is almost dry, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a 5-quart slow cooker.

Peel the potatoes and cut into neat ½-inch cubes. You should have about 4 cups. Add to the slow cooker along with the broth and salt. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Add the poblanos and cheese and stir slowly until the cheese melts into the soup. Continue cooking on low for 30 minutes more.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle each serving with a little chopped cilantro.

In seafood restaurants along the Pacific coast, little cups of hot soup are often served as a free appetizer along with packaged corn tostadas and an array of bottled hot sauces. The rich flavor of this potent broth comes from dried shrimp and plenty of chiles. If diluted, this broth forms an excellent base for
Caldo de Camarones
. Serve with a bucket of Pacifico beers on ice.

In a 10-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Tear all the chiles into small pieces and add to the skillet, using 4 chiles de árbol for a milder dish, or up to 6 for a spicer one. Cook, stirring, until the chiles begin to color, about 3 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is pale gold and the tomatoes are soft and dry, about 7 minutes. Add 3 cups of the water and simmer until the pan is almost dry, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.

In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine the puree with the remaining 5 cups water, the salt, and dried shrimp. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Add the epazote, cover, and cook 30 minutes more.

To serve, strain the broth and discard the shrimp and epazote. Serve very hot with the lime wedges and tostadas on the side.

Consommé de Camarón
forms the base for this quick shrimp soup. If you prefer, the soup can be made with pieces of fish, calamari, clams, mussels, or crab. Or slowly simmer a thick fillet of firm fish such as sea bass in the broth. Instead of the potatoes, you can use brown
fideos
(see
Sopa de Fideos
for the method), or serve the soup with a bowl of cooked rice alongside, which can be added to the soup.

In a soup pot, bring the shrimp broth and water to a simmer. Add the carrot, potato, zucchini, and shrimp and simmer for 15 minutes. At this point, the soup may be transferred to a slow cooker set on warm.

Serve hot with with lime wedges and hot sauce on the side.