The demands on Guevara are high, and they don’t lend him much time for his second job: home cook. Guevara usually takes Sunday off to spend with his wife and kids, Isabella (8), Ayla (6), and Luca (4). No one pressures him to cook at home, but he wants to. “I love to do it,” he says. “It’s easy for me, and it gives my wife a day off.” Notably, Guevara is home every morning, so he’s in charge of breakfast, packing lunches, and school drop-off. Guevara was born in Acapulco, Mexico, but grew up in Atlanta. He loves cooking Israeli food, and says that the dried chiles, warm spices, and sauces aren’t far from the ingredients he used growing up. However, on Sundays and weekday mornings, he cooks the Mexican dishes he learned from his mother and tasted at his father’s restaurant as a child. For breakfast, Guevara’s kids like burritos with leftover beans and a chorizo from Acapulco that’s heavy on the vinegar, red pepper, and guajillo. Aside from those burrito fillings, Guevara says his kids all have different preferences (what parent of multiple kids doesn’t relate?). ”My oldest child loves avocado, the younger one doesn’t do any cheese, my middle child loves corn tortillas, and the older child likes flour.” However, there is one dish that is essential for the household to function: caldo tlalpeño. Caldo tlalpeño in the Guevara family style is a simple chicken soup served with sofrito rice. According to Larousse Cocina it originates from the old town of Tlalpan in Mexico’s central Distrito Federal. Still, for Guevara’s kids, first generation born in the United States, the dish is a connection to Mexico. Only the oldest has traveled to the country, though Guevara plans to change that soon. Guevara learned the caldo tlalpeño method from his parents. “They would put a whole chicken in a pot of water, bring it to a boil, essentially making broth simultaneously, and then break the chicken down,” he says. The ingredients in the stock are straightforward — usually, just onions, garlic, cilantro stems, and sometimes bay leaf — but it is rich with flavor. Once the stock is complete, the chicken is removed and shredded. Then Guevara makes the sofrito rice with tomato and heavy garlic. Once that is complete, he sets up bowls and the family begins assembly. They add a melting cheese like Monterey jack to the bottom, followed by the rice, chicken, and finally broth. They serve it with a side of onion, cilantro, chipotle pepper, avocado, limes, and chips. “The kids liked simple rice with chicken and broth, but now they started eating it with the cheese, and they love it, man,” says Guevara. “If we don’t have it for three or four days, we make it again. It’s easy to eat, and we always have everything; it’s our comfort food.” And now you can make it yours, too.
Chef Luis Guevara Salgado’s Caldo Tlalpeño Recipe
Ingredients
For The Chicken And Broth
1 whole chicken, broken down into 6 pieces2 yellow onion5 garlic cloves1 bunch cilantro stems2 carrotsSalt
For The Sofrito Rice
2 cups jasmine rice3 cloves garlic2 vine ripe tomatoes3 cups chicken broth
For Serving The Soup
Cooked sofrito riceShredded chickenChicken brothMonterey jack cheese or other light melting cheeseChipotles in adoboDiced onionPicked cilantroTortilla chips
Directions
For The Broth and Chicken
For The Rice
To Assemble The Soup
In each bowl add two ounces of cubed cheese, ½ cup of rice, four ounces of shredded chicken, and two cups of the chicken broth. Garnish with cilantro and diced onion and spice with chipotle to desired heat. Add a few slices of avocado to make it even better
