Bottomer™ Goes Tropical: The Fajipina Got Souped

Alright loyal soupers…deep breath…No Soup Club this week! I know. Try to stay calm. We’ve got Tam on the real west coast (California, not Muskegon). Adam, Conlan, and Andy are off at some salesman trade show thingy shaking hands and “working”. Kevin is buried in IT meeting land. But me? I cannot be stopped…I need to keep tinkering with this whole soup thing to keep the dopamine flowing.

Now let’s talk about something important…Hands down, my favorite food is Mexican. If someone hacked my accounts and the security question was “Favorite Food?” the answer would be “tacos” (all lower case). I’ve said for years that most Mexican food is basically the same core ingredients wearing different outfits. Taco? Shell, meat, lettuce, toppings. Taco salad? Shell bowl, lettuce, meat, toppings. Burrito? Same crew, just rolled up.

But then, two years ago, something magical entered my life…The “Fajipina”. WTF is this you ask? Picture this: a pineapple cut in half. The sweet pineapple meat carved out, diced up, sautéed with fajita veggies and meat, then dumped back into the pineapple shell like some sort of tropical masterpiece. It’s theatrical. It’s delicious. It’s borderline ridiculous in the best way.

I first met this gem at Los Tres Amigos in Howell. Then again at the toothpick-famous El Rancho in Ludington. And let me tell you something — if you ever see “Fajipina” on a menu, don’t overthink it. Just order it. It’s freakin delicious. And depending on how heavy-handed they are with the oil, it can even lean toward healthy.

But wait…This is a soup blog…So naturally the question becomes: can the Fajipina be… souped? That’s what we’re about to find out.

The plan? We’re deploying the ever-popular Bottomer™ again. Underneath the broth you’ll find refried beans and/or chicken. Could you go steak? Shrimp? Absolutely. Choose your own adventure.

The broth will be tomato and veggie based, loaded with fajita veggies and pineapple for that sweet-heat combo. And the toppers? It’s Mexican. There are no limits. Pico, grac…whatever makes you happy.

Now, if this were for official Soup Club consumption, I would tone down the heat like a responsible adult. But it’s not, so hot peppers galore. Yavello’s…consider yourselves warned.

Now…let’s talk about the build…This thing took longer than expected. Like, noticeably longer. We made the decision to layer flavors instead of doing my usual “dump it all in and cross my fingers” method.

The chicken alone turned into a three-act play. First, season and grill the breasts. Then cut them into small pieces. Then re-season and throw them into a screaming hot cast iron to char the edges before setting aside for a Bottomer™. Same thing with the veggies. Some went into the broth before blending to build the base. The rest got set aside, thrown into cast iron, and scorched! Those got added back in after the blend.

Side note: windows had to be opened. Overhead fan on high. Smoke detectors went off twice.

Side side note: jalapeños combined with cast iron scorch apparently create some sort of airborne pepper gas. It smelled incredible, but there was dry coughing, nose blowing, and general “are we okay?” vibes happening. If this soup thing ever goes south, we’re pivoting to a pepper spray startup. I see an opportunity.

Triple side note: if you leave the house and walk back in, it smells exactly like the best Mexican restaurant you’ve ever been to. Yankee Candle, if you’re reading this, I just handed you your next record-breaking scent.

Now to the important part. Eating…First bowl: chicken Bottomer™. Broth. Dollop of pineapple pico. Dollop of pea guac. Crushed blue corn tortilla…“Oh my God this is so good” may have been said multiple times. Followed quickly by, “This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten. Ever.” So obviously…10.0 for me!

Second bowl: refried bean Bottomer™. Same broth. Same pineapple pico. Same pea guac. Crushed blue corn tortilla. Light sour cream. Light cheese. Exact same reaction. So good. Ridiculous. I’m convinced the magic lives in that layered, multi-depth, fajita-pineapple-tomato broth. That thing is carrying the load.

Soup Surgeon Jenn was also pretty blown away. Maybe not quite “best thing ever eaten” energy like I was, but very close. I don’t recall her officially stating a score, so I’m going to responsibly assign her a 10. Because how could it not be?

Tomorrow I’m hauling the largest batch into the office for Soup Club members and the Campbell’s Crew™. My prediction? Kevin will absolutely love it. The rest might say “meh” because it’s pretty spicy. And when I say spicy, I mean I didn’t hold back. Yavello’s, you’ve been warned…again!