South american vegetable soup

4 Servings

Ingredients

QuantityIngredient
½teaspoonLight olive oil with a dash of toasted sesame oil
½Peeled onion; roughly diced
1largePeeled garlic clove; bashed and chopped
1teaspoonOregano
¼teaspoonGround allspice
½teaspoonGround cumin
2cupsPeeled thin-skinned potatoes; roughly chopped (such as Yukon Gold)
4cupsLow sodium vegetable stock; (see recipe)
4Fresh husked tomatillos; cut into eighths or drained canned tomatillos
14½ounceNo salt added whole; tomatoes diced in juice
1cupCanned black beans; rinsed and drained
½cupFrozen corn kernels
poundsPeeled Chayote squash; cored, roughly diced
6ouncesPattypan squash slice; roughly diced
½teaspoonChipotle sauce
¼teaspoonSalt -Garnish---
2tablespoonsChopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat and fry the onion until it becomes translucent, about 2 minutes. Toss in the garlic, oregano, allspice, cumin and potatoes and cook another 3 minutes, stirring so the garlic doesn't brown.

2. Pour a little of the stock into the pan to release the flavorful bits that might have stuck there. Stir in the rest of the stock, the tomatillos and tomatoes. Bring to boil, turn the heat down, and allow it to simmer briskly for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

3. Add the beans, corn, cactus, squash, chipotle sauce, and salt. Bring back to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

TO SERVE 4 PEOPLE: Ladle into bowls and sprinkle cilantro on top.

NOTES : There are some unusual ingredients in this soup, but don't let tha= t stop you. You may substitute any yellow or green summer squash for the chayote or pattypan squashes. Our old friend zucchini would work fine. You will find canned tomatillos in the Mexican section of a well-stocked grocery store or in a Mexican market, if you can't get them fresh. The chipotle sauce provides a distinctive smoky flavor that's not to be missed= .

Recipe by: Copyright c 1996 by Kerr Corporation Posted to recipelu-digest by "Valerie Whittle" <catspaw@...> on Feb 25, 1998