South American Vegetable Soup

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South American Vegetable Soup

 

1/2 tsp. light olive oil with a dash of toasted sesame

oil

1/2 peeled onion, roughly diced

1 large peeled garlic clove, bashed, chopped

1 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

2 cups peeled thin-skinned potatoes, roughly chopped

4 cups vegetable stock

4 fresh husked tomatillos, cut into eighths or drained

canned tomatillos

1 14 1/2 oz. can whole, tomatoes diced in juice

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed, drained

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels

2/3 lb. peeled chayote squash cored, roughly diced

1 6 oz. pattypan squash slice roughly diced

1/2 tsp. chipotle sauce

1/4 tsp. salt

 

Garnish;

2 tbsps. chopped fresh cilantro

 

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.

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.

Add the beans, corn, cactus, squash, chipotle sauce,

and salt. Bring

back to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for 5

minutes.

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle cilantro on top.

NOTES : There are some unusual ingredients in this

soup, but don't let that 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.

Makes 4 servings.