Special sauce adds kick to El Matador chicken and avocado soup

A: Only in America! Where else can a Jordanian immigrant come to a country, work on an assembly line in an electronics plant, become good friends with immigrants from Mexico, develop a fondness for Mexican culture, music and food and then open a restaurant specializing in Mexican, with a touch of Middle Eastern cuisine? That is the story of Ismail Sirdah, who came here 17 years ago from Jordan, is now an American citizen and owner of El Matador, a casual Tex-Mex restaurant that boasts everyday fresh ingredients. The soup is the creation of chef Joaquin Bahena, who helped develop the menu, which was formulated to capture the best of Mexican cuisine with a bow to American tastes. This soup fills the bill and has been on the menu since the restaurant opened two years ago.

El Matador Avocado and Chicken Soup

Sara Levy, who tested this recipe, notes that the broth of this soup, which is light and delicate, gets a powerful punch when El Matador’s special sauce is added. For an even more flavorful soup, simply increase the amount of sauce. (Levy used 2 tablespoons rather than the 2 teaspoons called for in the original recipe.)

2 pounds boneless chicken breast

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons granulated garlic

1 cup chopped yellow onion

3 quarts water

4 cups cooked rice (white or Spanish)

3 avocados

3 limes or lemons

3/4 cup Pico de Gallo (recipe follows)

1/4 to 3/4 cup El Matador Special Sauce (recipe follows)

4 (6-inch) round tortillas, cut into 2-inch strips and fried in hot oil until golden (or substitute tortilla chips)

In a large stockpot, combine the chicken, salt, granulated garlic and onion. Add the water and bring to a boil. Let boil for 30 minutes. Remove chicken breasts and allow them to cool. When the chicken breasts have cooled, shred and place in a separate container, cover and set aside. Add rice to broth and set aside.

Peel the avocados and cut them into small pieces. Set aside. Cut each lime into 4 wedges. Set aside.

To serve: Place about 1 1/4 cups of chicken broth in a soup bowl, add about 3/4 cup shredded chicken, 2 tablespoons Pico de Gallo, 2 teaspoons (or more) of the special sauce and 3 tablespoons chopped avocado.

Add juice from 1/4 lime; garnish with tortilla chips and serve. Serves: 10

Per serving: 400 calories, 29 grams protein, 13 grams fat (percent calories from fat, 30), 41 grams carbohydrates, 66 milligrams cholesterol, 1,274 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.

Pico de Gallo

2 cups finely diced yellow onion

7 jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves and be careful not to touch your eyes)

1 1/2 cups finely diced tomato

1 1/2 cups chopped cilantro

In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine onion, peppers and tomato. Stir in cilantro and mix until well-blended. Makes: 5 cups

Per 1/4 cup: 14 calories, 1 gram protein, trace of fat (percent calories from fat, 7), 3 grams carbohydrates, no cholesterol, 3 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.

El Matador Special Sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

4 cubes Knorr chicken bouillon

2 large fresh whole tomatoes, peeled (see note) and chopped

5 cups water

In a medium-size saucepan over low heat, heat the oil. Stir in flour, pepper, garlic, cumin and chili powder and cook 2 minutes. Add chicken bouillon and tomatoes. Add water slowly, whisking constantly until smooth. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes.

Note: To peel tomatoes, bring a medium-size pot of water to a boil. Cut an X on the top (stem side) of the tomato. Put the tomatoes in the boiling water and boil until the skin starts to pull away from the tomato. Drain and let cool. Remove the skin from the tomatoes and set aside. Makes: 3 cups

Per tablespoon: 9 calories, trace protein, half a gram fat (percent calories from fat, 50), 1 gram carbohydrates, trace cholesterol, 97 milligrams sodium, trace fiber.