9/16/09 - Tortilla Soup

As you probably have guessed by now (seeing that I mention it in just about every post) during the growing season I belong to a CSA here in Jersey City. However my farmer also makes deliveries to some other local towns and other members have blogs as well. One of those members is a feature writer on Serious Eats. Her segment is called the Crisper Whisperer and she post recipes that help deal with the sometimes *interesting* produce we receive. Her latest handles the tomatillo - which I made salsa with the first year, let them rot in the fridge the second year and promised myself that I wouldn't ignore them this year! I was going to go the salsa route again and so I got to roasting the tomatilloes when I had the oven running the other night cooking some cookies (Rugelagh.... sorry these still need some help before they are post-worthy)

But once I saw the Tortilla Soup recipe I couldn't say no! (Not having much else in the fridge might have helped this along as well) I followed the idea that was in the recipe above but since I had already started this as a salsa I did a few things differently.

Tortilla Soup
5 tomatillos
3 large tomatoes - diced
2 bell peppers (any color - I used a red and a green)
1 1/2 onions
1 jalapeno
1 cherry bomb (another CSA find)
2 ribs celery
4 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp red paprika
1 tsp srirachi sauce
1 container beef broth
2 limes
4 tbsp cilantro
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp corn starch
salt & pepper

1 c shreded mexican blend cheese
4 tbsp guacamole
handful tortilla chips


1) rough chop 1 pepper, jalapeno, 1 onion and the tomatilloes and coat with 2 tbsp oil and salt & pepper
2) cook in over at 425 F for 20 min or until browned and soft enough to smush with a fork - set aside once done (can be done in advance)
3) in large soup pot - heat 1 tbsp oil & dice and add remaining peppers, onions, garlic and celery and sautee till browned
4) add 1/4 c beef broth and and cook veggies until softened
5) remove veggies from pot and place in bowl to cool
6) add remaining oil and brown ground
7) add chili powder, cumin, paprika, and srirachi sauce
8) using immersion blender blend tomatillo blend and veggie blend until smooth but still chunky
9) add diced tomatoes, and both veggie purees to the pot along with the beef broth
10) add juice of 1 lime and 2 tbsp cilantro - bring to a boil
11) add cornstarch to small bowl and add water to make a slurry - slowly add to soup while stirring
12) bring back to a boil and then remove from heat and let thicken
13) serve with a handful of cheese, spoonful of guac, 1 tsp cilantro, lime slice and a handful of chips