Time: 2.5 hours

Serves: 4 to 6

When the days get shorter, and the nights colder, Lopez finds comfort in a bowl of caldo de res. Passed down from her mother, this soup is all about warmth—both in how it brings people together and the natural heat of its foundation: guajillo chile. Enjoy this dish with grass-fed beef, the closest thing to Oaxaca’s famed carne, and Lopez’s personal touch on this time-honored comfort food.

Ingredients

Caldo de Res

2 Tbsp. sea salt
2 lb. bone-in short rib
2 lb. beef shank
2 ¼ cup chopped carrots
4 cup sliced potatoes
2 cup sliced chayote
2 cup trimmed green beans
4 ½ cup sliced cabbage
5 guajillo chiles, seeds and stems removed
1 small white onion, quartered
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. ground black peppercorn
2 whole ground gloves
¼ cup tomatillos, husked and rinsed
½ cup fresh cilantro
1 sprig of mint

Garnishes

Minced white onion
Minced serrano or jalapeño
Lime slices

Cooking Instructions

1. In a large pot, bring 1 gallon of water to a boil and add salt, short ribs, and beef shank. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 90 minutes. Skim off any impurities that rise to the top of the broth.

2. Add the carrots, potatoes, and chayote to the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add the green beans and cabbage. Continue to simmer for 20 minutes more while you rehydrate the chiles.

4. To rehydrate the dried guajillo chiles, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small pot. Turn off the heat, then add the chiles and soak.

5. After 10 minutes, put the softened chiles in a blender along with the onion, garlic, spices, and tomatillos and puree.

6. Strain blender contents through a mesh strainer and add the puree to the simmering broth. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add the cilantro and mint.

7. Turn off the heat and let the soup sit for 10 minutes. Serve with onion, minced chiles, and lime.

Home Cooked

From Issue 3, words by Kade Krichko

For restaurateur Bricia Lopez, food is family. After growing up in Mitla, Oaxaca, she, her mom, and her two siblings emigrated to the U.S. in 1994 to help her dad, Fernando, open one of Los Angeles’ first authentic Oaxacan restaurants. Long work weeks and hours of food prep became a family affair, and together, they built Guelaguetza, a culinary institution that won a James Beard Award in 2015.

Culturally-conscious ingredients have been at the center of Guelaguetza’s rise from the beginning, a lesson Lopez has parlayed into her own evolution of Oaxacan cuisine. In addition to putting out two cookbooks, the acclaimed chef and her siblings purchased the restaurant from their parents over a decade ago, with Lopez still using her father’s recipes—and mother’s sazón—to delight guests the world over.

“The cultural tapestry of Los Angeles has broadened my culinary mind, allowing me to incorporate new ideas while staying true to the essence of Oaxacan cuisine,” she says. “This way, I can honor my family’s legacy and share the rich, complex flavors of our heritage with a broader audience.”