This recipe for beef and rice soup(caldo de arroz con carne) was inspired by a wonderful Mexican cook I discovered on YouTube. The name of this wonderful channel is La Herencia de las Vuidas. I believe she is based out of Sonora, Mexico and I truly enjoy watching her cook. The cook’s name is Esmeralda and you can typically find her cooking outside over a wood fire. If you get a chance, go and check out her channel!
Not Feeding a Family Of Ten!
When I was first married, I used to cook like mom, for a family of ten! Lol! It took me a few years, but I learned to scale my recipes down to 4-6 servings. Much more manageable. Leftovers can be frozen or create a new dish when possible. Soup is soup, but one day serve with tortillas. Next day, serve in a bread bowl. Or how about au gratin with toasted bolillo and lots of melted queso on top? Delicious! Freezer foods are great too! Finding single serve frozen menudo or pozole during the middle of the week on a chilly afternoon is awesome. Simple things make me happy.
Freezer Diving!
Try to make a habit of rotating the older foods in your freezer out. Just because you store it in the freezer, does not mean it can stay in there forever, lol! I confess, I was bad at this for a long time. But, imagine my surprise when I found 1 pound of masa for tamales after 6 months. They were the best rajas con queso tamales I ever prepared. On this occasion, I found some chuck steaks, almost 2 pounds. Instead of preparing them for carne asada, I was craving caldo. The beef was perfect in this soup recipe, very tender.
Where Do You Find Inspiration For Recipes?
Besides all of my food memories of mom’s recipes and trips to Monterrey, Mexico for many years, there are so many wonderful Mexican cooks through out social media. My morning routine consists of coffee, catching up with emails and 1 hour of food videos on YouTube! I don’t want to waste my time watching food competitions, I want to learn something new about cooking and recipes. If you think you have nothing more to learn about cooking, then what? One never stops learning.
What Do I Mean When I Say, Make The Recipe Your Own?
It’s fun to follow a tried and true recipe. But, it’s also fun to add your own spin on a recipe. What if I don’t want potatoes in my caldo de arroz? Nothing! The recipe is not going to be a failure if you switch out one ingredient with something that may be similar. Customize with some of your favorite spices, it’s ok.
Prep Ahead! I Cannot Stress That Enough!
I would not suggest starting a recipe without prepping ahead. Chopping, mincing and measuring ingredients out will make for a much more pleasant cooking experience. I promise you. Not unless you dislike cooking all together, then that’s a different story! Lol! Whether the recipe calls for four ingredients or twenty ingredients(mole), prep ahead. When I am not sharing a recipe, I just wing it! It’s fun!
What Are The Flavor Profiles of This Caldo? Looks Like Cocido. Looks Like Caldo de Res.
Yes, the flavor profile is much like comforting caldo or cocido, but ready in less time. All the ingredients are bite size, easy to eat, with the added roasted poblano! Delicious! The original recipe, Esmeralda used green Anaheim peppers, not poblano. She also added some sliced green onions to the mix. I added chayote squash and carrots. Plus I downsized the recipe by 1/3 or so. In caldo or cocido, there is bones, bone marrow, beef shanks, cabbage, corn, huge chunks of calabacitas(Mexican squash). As I said, similar flavors, but still different with the added rice directly to the soup recipe.
Garnish To Your Hearts Content! Just Don’t Forget The Corn Tortillas!
Beef and Rice Soup(Caldo de Arroz Con Carne)
Equipment
- large pot
- deep skillet
Ingredients
- 1 3/4- 2 lbs chuck steak, sliced into 1 inch pieces
- Water
- 1 large white onion
- 1 bulb garlic
- 2-4 bay leaves
- Salt to taste
- Oil
- 1/2 cup long grain rice
- 1 medium red or white potato, diced
- 1 medium chayote squash, diced
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 2 large ripe roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 serrano pepper, roughly chopped
- 2 large poblano peppers, previously roasted, sliced
- 3 tbsps cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- After rinsing the beef in cold water, slice into 1 inch pieces. Transfer to a heavy pot. Cover with 4-5 quarts of water. Add 1/2 of the onion, 3/4 of the garlic, bay leaves and salt to taste. Bring up to a simmer, skimming the foam off the top as needed. Cover partially and continue cooking until beef is tender. This may take up to 2 hours.
- Prep and measure out remaining ingredients while beef cooks. Preheat broiler to high. Wash the poblanos and place on metal rack lined with a baking sheet. When ready, place poblanos 6 inches below broiler. Broil for 10 minutes, flip over and broil for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and let steam in a plastic bag or under a clean kitchen towel.
- After beef has cooked 1 1/2 hours, heat a separate deep skillet to medium heat. Drizzle in about 3 tbsps of oil. Add 1/2 cup of rice. Once rice begins to sizzle and become aromatic, stir as needed for the next 6-7 minutes. Add the diced onion and minced garlic. Saute for 4 minutes.
- To the rice, add the potato, chayote and carrots. Saute for 3 minutes.
- From the pot of beef, remove the onion and garlic. Transfer rice and vegetables to the pot with beef and broth. Stir well to combine.
- To the blender, add the tomato and serrano pepper. Season with 1/3 tsp of salt. Blend on high until smooth. Pour the tomato puree into the pot with beef. Stir well. Once it comes up to a boil, reduce heat slightly. Taste for salt.
- Remove the stems, seeds and blistered skins from the poblanos. Slice into small strips. Add poblano to the soup pot. Stir well. Once all the vegetables are cooked through and beef is very tender, mix in the chopped cilantro. Cook for another few minutes. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with more cilantro, lime, avocado and jalapeño(optional). Serve with warm tortillas or homemade chips.
Notes
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super enjoy your writing about food and cooking. Looking forward to making caldo inspired by this when the cool weather shows up.
Thank You!!!
Sonia, I cannot find Esmeralda (my name too) on YouTube. Is she the older woman? She speaks Spanish only?
Spanish only, from Michoacan. Did you type her YouTube page name, herencia de la vuidas? She’s the only one with that name.
In this recipe can beef stew cubes be used?
You can use them. I don’t favor them because in my experience, the meat is a little tough. But. that may have just been when I purchased it. Doesn’t mean it’s all that way.