Tom Kha in the Chamba Soup Pot 

Thai coconut soup is a spicy and sour hot soup
with coconut milk. This soup
is rich and creamy, yet also tangy and salty.

Ingredients & Shopping List

Step 1: In your Chamba Soup Pot,
put your chicken broth on to boil.  

(Bogota's Chicken and Potato Soup)

Hector Varela's Recipe

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 Chicken breasts
Garlic
Onion
Chicken stock
12 small yellow potatoes, cut in halves
1 bunch of scallions
2 ears of corn
8 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small slices
1 bunch of cilantro
8 tbsp of Guascas*
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp capers, drained
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
Salt

Directions:

1. The night before, marinate the chicken breasts with garlic, onion, and salt
2. In 4 liter Chamba casserole, put the breasts, add water, cover and cook until the chicken is tender.
3. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Remove the skin from the chicken and discard. Cut the chicken breasts into strips
4. Cook the yellow potatoes in the casserole with the chicken stock until they start to disintegrate. Add more chicken stock to taste. At this point the soup should be thick and fairly smooth.
5. Add the bunch of scallions, the bunch of cilantro, the sliced potatoes, the guascas, and the corn
6. When cooked, remove the bunch of cilantro and the bunch of scallions. 
7. Serve the chicken in soup bowls and pour the soup into the bowls. Pour three tablespoons of creams and one teaspoon of chopped capers on each bowl. Float the sliced avocado on top.

*NOTE: you defintely have to use guascas if youw ant to call your soup Ajiaco. It gives the soup its characteristic flavour! Most latin-american markets carry this herb.

Traditional; adapted by Stuart Cristol-Deman

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 shallot, minced
1/4 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into half-inch pieces
1/4 lb small potatoes, like Yukon Gold, cut into eighths
2 medium carrots, diced
2 medium zucchini, seeded and sliced
1 yellow squash, diced
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
2 leaves of Swiss chard, leaves minced and stem sliced very fine
1/2 - 1 tbsp ras al hanout, or a blend of cinnamon, coriander, and cardamom
2 cups couscous, cooked according to manufactures instructions

Directions:

1. Drain the juice from the tomatoes and reserve the solids. You should have 3/4 to 1 cup of liquid.
2. In a Chamba tagine, saute the potatoes, carrots, green beans, and squash in a little olive oil for a few minutes, over medium high heat, until they take on a bright colour.
3. Add the reserved liquid and the spices, cover, and cook for 8-10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium.
4. Remove the cover from the tagine and let the liquid reduce by almost half, around 5 minutes.
5. Add the tomato solids; you may need all of them. At this point you still want liquid in the dish.
6. Stir in the chickpeas and cover, cooking for another 20-30 minutes or until the vegetables are done. 
7. Taste and adjust seasoning about half way through this point. Stir in the swiss chard with everything is almost done and cook for 5 minutes.

Serve in bowls over the couscous.

Courtesy of Dar Horn

Serves 8-12 as a Side or 4-6 as a Main Course

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups quinoa (the amount in a package from Rancho Gordo)
2 1/2 cups organic chicken stock
1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Rinse 2 1/2 cups quinoa several times until it stops "foaming"
2. Put quinoa in a Chamba soup pot with some good olive oil and "saute" it as best you can (given that it is so wet). Add any spices to taste
3. Add 2 1/2 cups chicken stock plus 1/2 cup water and bring to a semi-hard boil
4. After boiling for a few minutes, put on the cloth-wrapped lid and turn off the heat
5. After about 10 minutes, fluff up the quinoa and put the lid back on for another 10 minutes or so. It is then ready to serve.

By Steve Sando, adapted from a recipe by Diane Kochilas' "Ikara" (Rodale Press, 2014)

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 lb Rancho Gordo Garbanzo beans
6 medium sprigs of fresh thyme
2 medium sprigs of fresh rosemary
3 Rancho Gordo bay leaves
Salt and pepper
3 large red onions, halved and sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 each of red, green, and orange bell peppers, cleaned and sliced into 1/4 inch rings
1 stalk celery, sliced into matchstick-sized pieces
2-3 large tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Cook the garbanzos in plenty of water with one of the bay leaves. Bring the pot to a rapid boil and continue cooking for 15 minutes.
2. Reduce the heat to medium low. Gently simmer the beans until they're almost soft, about an hour to an hour and a half. (Timing will vary wildly if you are using older beans or a bran other than Rancho Gordo)
3. Strain the beans and reserve the cooking liquid.
4. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
5. In an oven-proof, wide pan, like a Chamba cazuela, add the drained garbanzos followed by enough of the reserved cooking broth to reach 2/3 of the way up the beans. Add the herbs and lightly salt.
6. Over the chickpeas, layer the onions, followed by the garlic, then the peppers, the celery, and finally the tomatoes.
7. Pour the olive oil to cover the top. Cover the pan with a lid if you have one, otherwise cover with a piece of parchment paper and aluminum foil.
8. Bake for 2 1/2 hours. 
9. Uncover and continue baking for another 30 minutes. The liquid should be absorbed and top just starting to char.
10. Remove and allow to cool to warm or room temperature. Crack plenty of black pepper over the top and serve.

Farro and Chickpea Soup for Summer

From "Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison's Kitchen," Broadway, 2007. Reprinted with permission of the author.)

Serves 4-6

“I love cooking in clay pots of all kinds, and the Chamba black clayware is no exception. It’s a beautiful material, so soft that it makes me want to cook in a gentle manner, with extra care. But that’s not because the clay isn’t strong — it is. It just gives a different feeling than metal. 

"Farro and chickpeas needn’t be relegated to the cold-season months — they make a fine summer soup too, and they needn’t be served hot. Room temperature is good, too. 

"This soup takes about 15 minutes to put together, 30 minutes to cook, but it gains in flavor if it can stand for a few hours.” 

- Deborah Madison

Ingredients:

1 cup farro, soaked 4 hours in cold water
2-4 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
1 celery rib, peeled if stringy, then finely diced
2 garlic cloves chopped with a handful parsley leaves
1 tsp tomato paste
1 cup finely diced or crushed tomatoes, plus their juices, fresh or canned
1 (15 1/2 oz) can organic chickpeas
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Drain the farro. Warm the olive oil in a wide Chamba soup pot.
2. Add the onion, celery, and garlic-parsley mixture. Cook, stirring every so often, over medium heat until the onions are translucent and starting to soften, about 7 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomato paste then add the tomatoes, farro, 1 tsp salt, and 6 cups water
4. Simmer 30 minutes, covered, until the farro is tender but still toothsome. Stir in the chickpeas and their liquid. At this point the soup can sit at room temperature for several hours, giving the flavours a chance to meld.
5. Reheat the soup before serving if you wish to have it hot, or serve it at room temperature. Stir in the basil, a few drops olive oil in each bowl, and grate a little Parmesan over the top.

By Stuart Cristol-Deman, courtesy of stuartonthecoast.com

Makes About 2 Cups

Ingredients:

1 lb tomatillos, husk on
1 white onion, cut in half and ends trimmed
4 cloves garlic, skin on
1 jalapeno, serrano or pasilla pepper
Juice of 1 lime
1 bunch of cilantro

Directions:

1. Heat a Chamba comal over medium-low heat for a few minutes. Put the garlic cloves and onion halves on the comal.
2. Cook the onion 3-5 minutes per side until nicely browned and charred in some places. Turn the garlic as needed to get a good char on the skins.
3. Remove to a plate when done to cool.
4. Place the tomatillos on the comal. If using a jalapeno, or serrano chili, place on the comal as well. If using a pasilla, place directly on a gas flace to char all sides evenly, turning often. 
5. Turn the tomatillos often until the husks are dark brown and charred in places. Some might burst and release a little juice, but this is ok.
6. Remove items from the comal in batches as they are done, placing the tomatillos on the plate with the onion and garlic and the peppers on the counter either in a tightly closed paper bag or under a bowl. 
7. Allow the pepper to steam for 5-10 minutes, then scrape off the charred skin with a paring knife (wearing gloves for this is highly recommended).
8. Split the pepper open and remove some seeds and the white veins for a milder heat, or leave some in if you like it hotter
9. Remove the papery husks from the garlic, onion, and tomatillos. Add to a blender along with the pepper, lime juice, and cilantro. Pulse for a chunky salsa or puree for a smoother sauce.

Serve as is for chips and beans; use as the base of a soup such as Posole Verde; cook down and use for enchiladas verde or chicken or pork verde.

By Stuart Cristol-Deman, courtesy of stuartonthecoast.com

Serves 4-6 as a Main Course

This red bean has a depth of flavor that works well with the acidity of the tomatillo salsa and they happen to be my favorite Rancho Gordo beans, but you can really cook any beans this way.

Ingredients:

1 lb Rancho Gordo Domingo Rojo beans, rinsed
1 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tbsp Mexican oregano
6 cups water
Pinch of salt
Tomatillo salsa

Directions:

1. In a 3.5 or 6 quart Chamba Soup pot, saute the vegetables for a few minutes in the oil.
2. Add the oregano, crushing the leaves between your hands to release the aroma and grind into a powder.
3. Add the beans and water to cover them by about 2 inches. 
4. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Turn the heat down to a simmer, but not so low that the beans don't move around in the pot, and cover. Cook for about 1 and half hours.
6. Remove a bean and cut it in half. Look to see if most of the starch on the inside is opaque. Taste for doneness as well.
7. Add salt and cook until done, up to another half hour.

Scoop out the beans into a serving dish, saving the broth for later use. Top with the salsa and sour cream. Enjoy!

By Stuart Cristol-Deman, courtesy of stuartonthecoast.com

Serves 4-6

The deep flavors of this unique spice combines with the sweetness of butternut squash for a twist on a fall favorite.

Ingredients:

1 large shallot, diced
2 large butternut squash cut in large dice, about 4 cups
2 apples, cored and coarsely chopped
4 cups water, vegetable oil, or chicken stock
1 tbsp cooking oil
Large pinch of salt, less if using a salted stock
1 tbsp Urfa Chile
3 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. In a Chamba soup pot over medium-low heat, saute the shallow in the oil until soft, but not too brown
2. Add the squash and apples and continue to saute for a few minutes more
3. Add the salt, stirring for one minute
4. Cover with parchment paper directly over the vegetables then put the lid on and cook for a few minutes
5. Remove the parchment paper with a pair of tongs, then pour enough water or stock over the squash to just cover them
6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cover
7. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the squash is soft
8. In the meantime, put the Urfa chile and olive oil in a small bowl. Let sit for at least 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reserve
9. When the vegetables are done, puree with an immersion blender, or in a blender in batches. 
10. Return to pot and taste for seasoning. Adjust if needed.

Serve in individual bowls, drizzling a little of the Urfa oil on each portion and you're done!

Serves 4-6 as a Side or 2-3 as a Main Course

By Stuart Cristol-Deman, courtesy of StuartOnTheCoast.com

Freekeh Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup cracked freekeh, rinsed
1tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Dressing Ingredients:
1 small shallot, diced fine
Pinch of salt
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
6 tbsp olive oil

Salad Ingredients:
1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
20 mint leaves (or to taste), chopped
4 oz. Feta cheese, crumbled
Seeds from a medium pomegranate
Cracked black pepper to taste

_________________________________________________________________

Directions:

1. In a 3 qt Chamba soup pot place the freekeh, water, salt, and oil. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
2. While the freekeh is cooking, make the dressing. In a jar that has a lid, place the vinegar, shallot, and salt. Let sit for 10 minutes. Add the oil and shake to emulsify (With the lid on!)
3. Drain the freekeh, place in a bowl and dress with half the dressing. Let cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Taste and add more dressing and seasoning if needed.