When the garden gives you jalapenos make Mexican tortilla soup

Just before the first frost I went outside and collected all the jalapeno peppers on my one plant. I can't believe how prolific this plant has been. I must've picked at least two hundred peppers since I've been home. I don't know how many my friends picked during the summer while I was away but it's still an impressive yield for just one plant.

I froze about 50 of those hot puppies to add to soups and stews in the winter months. Mike, next door, was a beneficiary of a bunch of them and the rest became jalapeno pickles. Easy and delicious! It's so nice to crack open a jar in the winter and savor the pickled heat.

 

 One of my favorite fall dishes is a Mexican tortilla soup with butternut squash and garbanzo beans. One whole roasted jalapeno goes in it, among a long list of other ingredients, that make for a complex, hearty vegetarian soup. I know what you're thinking. What's Greek about this dish? Nothing! Only that this Greek woman loves flavors from all over the world, and sometimes I think I may have been a Latina in another life or a Middle Easterner in another, or a French woman, an Indian or a Russian. You get the picture. 

 

  

 

 

 
 

So, on with the Mexican tortilla soup adapted from Epicurious.com

Spicy Roasted Vegetable Soup with Toasted Tortillas

Makes 4 main-course servings

This is known as chilpachol in Mexico.

Ingredients

Aromatic soup base
2 pounds large plum tomatoes (about 10)(I used2a 14.5 cans of chopped tomatoes)

2 medium onions (about 14 ounces), peeled, halved

1 1/2x3-inch strip from Mexican cinnamon stick or 1 1/2-inch piece regular cinnamon stick6 whole black peppercorns
4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 large jalapeño chili

2 5 1/2-inch corn tortillas, cut in half

To finish soup

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

5 cups water

1 1 1/2-pound butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes

3/4 pound red-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes

1 teaspoon (or more) salt

1 15- to 16-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), undrained

1/4 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup corn kernels, cut from 1 large ear (step 3) or frozen

1/3 cup (packed) chopped fresh cilantro

• Additional 5 1/2-inch corn tortillas

Lime wedges

Preparation

Make soup base:
Preheat broiler. Line baking sheet with heavy-duty foil. sheet. Place onion halves close together on sheet. Broil until surfaces are charred, turning once with tongs, about 4 minutes per side. Set aside and cool.

Heat cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Using tongs, place cinnamon strip, peppercorns, garlic cloves, and jalapeño chili in hot skillet, preferably cast iron. Toast until fragrant and charred, turning and stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes for cinnamon and peppercorns and 8 minutes for garlic and jalapeño. Transfer all to plate. Place tortilla halves in same hot skillet. Toast until browned in spots and crisp, pressing often with spatula, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer tortillas to plate; cool, then break into very small pieces.

After the onions have cooled, cut away most of charred surface from broiled onions and then chop. Peel garlic cloves. Stem, quarter, seed and devein jalapeño chili. Place tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapeño chili, and chipotle chilies in processor. Finely grind cinnamon, peppercorns, and toasted tortillas in spice mill or coffee grinder; add to processor. Blend soup base until smooth, about 5 minutes.

Finish soup:
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Add soup base from processor, oregano, and cumin. Cook (sear) until base thickens enough to leave path when spoon is drawn through, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add 5 cups water, squash, potatoes, and 1 teaspoon salt; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until vegetables are almost tender, about 15 minutes. Add garbanzo beans with liquid, green beans, and corn. Cover; simmer until all vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes longer. Mix in cilantro; season with pepper and more salt, if desired.

Toast tortillas directly over gas flame or electric burner until browned in spots but still soft, about 40 seconds per side. Wrap in foil; keep warm.

Ladle soup into bowls. Serve with lime wedges and warm tortillas.

It may seem time consuming but it's sooo good! Worth the time to make and it tastes even better the next day.
Enjoy!

Maria