Chickpea Vegetable Soup — The Soup That’s Mine Now

Tax season. I did the bakery taxes myself — not because I wanted to but because an accountant costs money and money is the thing I don't have enough of, so I sat at the kitchen table with a calculator and a box of receipts and a glass of wine (one glass, which is my annual tax allowance because taxes without wine is a cruelty I refuse to inflict on myself) and I did the math. The bakery grossed sixty-two thousand dollars last year. After expenses — rent, salaries, supplies, equipment repairs, the swamp cooler, the oven, the six hundred things that break in a building that wasn't new when we leased it — the profit was thirty-eight thousand. That's three thousand one hundred and sixty-six dollars a month. That's enough. Barely. The word "barely" should be on our family crest.

Luis looked at the numbers and said, "We're growing." He is right. Last year was thirty-one thousand. This year is thirty-eight. Seven thousand more. Seven thousand more means Sofia's STEM program and Diego's science camp and Isabella's school supplies and one less month of credit card interest. Seven thousand is not nothing. Seven thousand is a direction, and the direction is up, and up is the only direction I want to go.

Diego built a model bridge this week. Not the popsicle stick kind — an actual scale model of a cable-stayed bridge, made from balsa wood and string, that he designed using software he found online. The bridge spans his desk and can hold a textbook. He put a textbook on it to prove it could, and the bridge held, and he pumped his fist and said, "Structural integrity!" and I have never been more confused by or proud of a nine-year-old in my life. (He turns nine in July.)

I made caldo tlalpeño this week — the smoky chicken soup from Mexico City with chickpeas and chipotle and avocado. Not Rosa's recipe — Rosa's soup was caldo de res, always caldo de res, the way a Sunday is always a Sunday. But caldo tlalpeño is mine, learned from a cookbook I found at the library, modified until it felt right, until the chipotle was present but not overwhelming and the avocado melted into the broth and the chickpeas gave it a richness that regular chicken soup doesn't have. I am building my own repertoire now. Rosa's notebook and Maria Elena's notebook, side by side, and together they hold more than either one alone.

Carmen told me that Alejandro is drinking less. Not sober — less. Which is an improvement measured in degrees, like the desert cooling in October, not cold yet but cooler, the temperature moving in the right direction. I sent him money and a photograph of Camila singing at Easter and wrote on the back: "She has Rosa's voice." I don't know if he'll understand what I mean. I think he will. Some things only Delgados understand.

This is the soup I sat down with after the calculator and the receipts and the one glass of wine — the caldo tlalpeño that I’ve been building recipe by recipe into something that’s mine. It’s smoky without being loud, rich from the chickpeas, and the avocado melts into the broth the way seven thousand dollars melts into a year of school supplies and science camp and one less month of interest. Here’s how I make it.

Caldo Tlalpeño (Smoky Chipotle Chicken & Chickpea Soup)

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 can (14.5 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 to 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced (plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican oregano if you have it)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 avocado, diced, for serving
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, for serving
• 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving
• Tortilla chips, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Build the base. Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
2. Add the vegetables. Stir in carrots, celery, and zucchini. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften at the edges.
3. Season and simmer. Add chicken broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, chickpeas, chipotle peppers with adobo sauce, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano. Stir to combine. Nestle the whole chicken breasts into the liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F).
4. Shred the chicken. Remove chicken breasts and shred with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the pot. Stir and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve. Ladle soup into bowls and top with diced avocado, fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and tortilla chips if using. The avocado will soften into the hot broth — that’s what you want.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 285 | Protein: 24g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 26g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 680mg