New Dish - Caldo Tlalpeno

Finally, a non-political and non-policy oriented post. I fell in love with this dish while I was working in Guatemala City a few years ago, and finally figured out a workable recipe that, while probably not truly authentic, hits pretty close to the mark and is pretty easy to make:

Ingredients:

- 1 small onion (red or white), chopped coarsely
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped coarsely
- olive oil
- chicken bouillon cube
- 2 breasts of chicken, cut in small pieces
- 1 cup of rice
- 1 can of chickpeas
- 1 avocado
- bunch of cilantro
- bunch of green onion
- 1 lime
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 chile chipotle or 1 tbsp smoked chile paste (I used a brand I found in the local Chinese market, doesn't have an English name that I can tell)
- salt and pepper

Instructions:

Saute the pepper and onions in olive oil over medium heat, in a large pot. Add the minced garlic and the chile paste. Drain the chickpeas and add to the mixture, together with the rice and chicken and 5 cups of water. Add the bouillon cube, and bring the mixture to a boil. Add remaining spices, and salt and pepper to taste. Then cover and simmer for about an hour. Before serving, add the juice from a wedge of lime and garnish with chopped avocado, green onion and cilantro.

Again, probably not an authentic recipe - but pretty close in taste to what I had in Guatemala. Enjoy!