Recipes » Vegetables » Vegetable Chilpachol

Ingredients

• Base:
• 2 pounds large plum tomatoes or canned
• 2 onions, peeled, halved
• 1 piece cinnamon stick
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• Garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1 jalapeño chili
• 3 tortillas cut in half
• Grilled, soaked Chili peppers to taste
   
• Finish:
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 6-8 cups water
• 2 pound butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 /1/2 lb. 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 or fava beans
• 1/4 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups corn kernels
• 1/2 cup (packed) chopped fresh cilantro
• Tortillas
• Lime juice

Preparation

Make soup base:

Roast tomatoes. Transfer to plate and cool. Roast onion halves. Set aside and cool.
Roast jalapeno pepper
Roast Chili peppers; soak in boiling water for ½ hour.
Dry sauté garlic.
Dry sauté cinnamon and pepper corns. 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.

De-seed tomatoes.
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 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 beans with liquid, green beans, lime juice and corn. Cover; simmer until all vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes longer.

Mix in cilantro; season with pepper and more salt, if desired.

Serve with fresh tortillas.