Tesmole Verde
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Servings:
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon lard, preferably home-rendered
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup masa, either fresh or reconstituted by mixing 1 cup masa harina with 3/4 cup water
  • small bit of chopped fresh epazote, cilantro, or hoja santa (optional)
  • 4 pound beef shin with morrow bones, sawed by the butcher into 2-inch sections
  • 2 medium-sized white onions, 4 left unpeeled
  • 6 garlic cloves, 4 left unpeeled
  • 2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 5 large fresh or 10 dried hoja santa leaves
  • 1 small bunch of cilantro
  • 4 jalapeño chiles
  • 1 cup shelled fresh lima beans
  • 2 ears of corn, fresh or frozen, cut into 2-inch rounds
  • 1/2 pound mature green beans, topped and tailed, strings removed if necessary
  • 2 chayotes, peeled, pitted, and cut lengthwise and cut into 1 1/2-inch slices
Directions
  1. In a mixing bowl, stir the lard and salt into the masa to make a smooth dough. Shape the mixture into balls the size of large marbles, slightly flattening each one and using your index finger to press a small indentation into each dumpling. Cover the bolitas with a damp, clean kitchen towel and set them aside.
  2. Place the meat in a large saucepan or small stockpot with the unpeeled onion, 4 unpeeled garlic cloves, and 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste. Add 6 to 7 cups cold water (or enough to cover the meat) and bring to a boil over high heat. Quickly reduce the heat to maintain a low rolling boil; skim off any froth that rises to the top. Cook, partly covered, until the meat is tender, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
  3. When the meat is tender, lift it out, letting it drain well, and set aside. Strain the stock and return it to the rinsed-out pot; set aside.
  4. Coarsely chop the remaining onion and garlic cloves. If you are using dried hoja santa, proceed as follows: Purée the onion and garlic in a blender with 6 hoja santa leaves, half the cilantro, 2 of the jalapeños, and about 1 cup of the strained stock, or enough to facilitate blending. If using fresh hoja santa, purée in exactly the same way but use the entire bunch of cilantro. Pour the mixture into the remaining reserved stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Quickly reduce the heat to maintain a low rolling boil. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch or two of salt if desired.
  5. Return the meat to the soup. Add the lima beans and cook for 3 minutes. Notch a small cross in the tops of the remaining 2 jalapeños and add to the soup along with the corn, green beans, chayotes, and zucchini. Cook for about 7-8 minutes, or until the vegetables are just crisp-tender. Add the bolitas to the soup, and cook just until they float to the top, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  6. If using dried hoja santa, place the remaining 4 leaves in the blender with the rest of the cilantro and puree with a tablespoon of stock or water. Fresh hoja santa can be pureed by itself, using just a few tablespoons of stock or water. Stir into the soup and serve immediately.