NINI'S CUBAN TROPICAL SOUP, SOPITA TROPICAL DE NINI

Nini's Cuban Tropical Soup, Sopita Tropical de Nini image

This is one of my sister-in-law's Nilda we call her Nini, most delicious Cuban tropical soup. It is creamy and both sweet and savory at the same time. It is made with tropical vegetable tubers or root vegetables, such as Boniato a white sweet potato, Mandioca root or yuca root, semi ripe plantains and Cuban yellow pumpkin or...

Provided by Juliann Esquivel

Time 2h30m

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

1 large whole chicken cut in pieces, skin removed
1 large onion cut in four quarters
4 large fresh garlic cloves smashed
1/2 large green bell pepper, seeds removed do not dice just cut in half
3/4 sprig(s) cilantro do not dice, leave sprigs whole
2 Tbsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 large boniatos (white sweet potato)peeled and cut into bite sized pieces. can be found in the latin grocers frozen food section,
3 large semi ripe plantains just starting to get ripe, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 large casava root or yuca root, can be found frozen peeled and ready to cook in the frozen latin food section.
2 c cuban calabaza or tropical pumpkin diced in bite sized chunks, can also be found in the frozen food section in the latin grocers
2 small envelope sazon goya with culantro and achiote
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 large ears of fresh corn, peeled and cut cob into 2 inch pieces, optional

Steps:

1. Skin and cut the whole chicken into pieces. Put into a deep heavy soup pot. Add about 2 quarts of cold water, the whole quarted onion, smashed garlic, half green pepper whole do no cut into pieces, cilantro sprigs whole with the leaves, 1 tablespoon salt and some of the black pepper. cover and cook chicken for about 45 minutes. Cook until chicken is tender reduce heat and simmer on very low.
2. While chicken is cooking prep the vegetables. If you have found them frozen at the supermarket rinse and put into a dish cut in pieces, the cut boniato, white sweet potato, cut plantains, cut yuca root or casava root in pieces and Cuban calabaza or carribbean tropical pumpkin. If fresh peeled and cut into bite sized pieces or if frozen it will be cut and ready to add to your soup. Sometimes you can find the frozen mixture of all of these vegetables all together in one bag to make a dish called Ajiaco, Another kind of Cuban Tropical Soup. If you can find this Ajiaco vegetables then buy two bags because it has all of these vegetables already in it and ready to cook in your soup broth.
3. When your chicken has cooked remove all the chicken from the pot and very carefuly strain the soup removing the onion and pepper. To the broth add the preped root vegetables, the two envelopes of Sazon Goya, and garlic powder and the other tablespoon of salt. You may add the pieces of fresh corn if you like with the rest of the root vegetables. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are fork tender. about one hour and 10 minutes. I like to add fresh corn to this soup if I have it on hand.
4. While the root vegetables are cooking de-bone the chicken and cut into bite sized pieces. Add back to the soup the last half hour before soup is done. Serve the soup in large bowls with a lime wedge and hot Cuban toasty bread or French or Italian toasty bread. You are in for a real taste sensation. Enjoy