Tomatillo and Squash Soup
"This is from The New Vegetarian Epicure, by Anna Thomas. I have not tried it yet, but I need to take the book back to the library! She says that if you cannot find kabocha squash, you can use buttercup, Hubbard, Delicata, or, in a pinch, acorn. Read the directions through before you begin, because they are arranged so that while one thing is cooking, you are preparing something else."
- Ready In:
- 2hrs
- Ingredients:
- 11
- Serves:
-
8-10
ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 lbs tomatillos (about 12 medium)
- 3 -4 medium ripe tomatoes
- 10 -12 cloves garlic, with the peel on
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, to taste
- 4 cups kabocha squash, peeled and diced (about 2 pounds untrimmed)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water, more if needed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions
- 1⁄2 cup cilantro, stemmed and coarsely chopped (1 small bunch)
- 2 dried red serrano chilies or 2 other dried hot red chiles
directions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove and discard the husks from the tomatillos.
- Wash them and cut in half.
- Trim the tomatoes and quarter them.
- Quarter and slice the onions.
- Arrange the tomatillos, tomatoes, and all but one clove of the unpeeled garlic on a cookie sheet.
- Sprinkle lightly with salt.
- Roast for 35-45 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and beginning to char in spots.
- Remove and let cool for a few minutes.
- While the vegetables are roasting, combine the diced squash, the vegetable broth, and 2 cups of water in a large soup pot.
- Simmer, covered, for at least 45 minutes, or until the squash is very tender.
- While everything else is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the onions and the remaining clove of garlic, peeled and minced, and a dash of salt.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the onions are caramelized to a dark golden brown.
- When the roasted vegetables are cool enough to handle, scrape the red tomatoes off their skins with a spoon.
- Squeeze the soft garlic out of the husks and discard the husks.
- Combine the red tomato pulp, the tomatillos, and the soft garlic in a blender or food processor with a little water, and puree them.
- Add the puree to the broth and squash, along with the caramelized onions and the chopped cilantro.
- If the broth has greatly reduced during cooking, add some water.
- Toast the dried red chiles in a hot pan or over a flame until they blister or show black spots.
- Chop them, removing some of the seeds if you want to reduce the heat, and stir them into the soup.
- Simmer everything together for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve hot, with warm corn tortillas or any good bread.
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Reviews
-
I doubled this recipe to have lots of soup cover my lunches. Used one butternut and one buttercup squash. Used 4 cups of a homemade vegie broth and 4 cups tstore bought veg broth. Misread the directions and put my quartered 2 onions in the oven with my tomatillos and tomatoes but also forgot to quarter up the other 2 onions so I did slice them up and carmelize. Already had some roasted heads of garlic which I added to the blender step. I may puree up half of the soup for a different texture later in the week. -
Whoopie! This soup is awesome! Even with all my "lazy" modifications...First, I used butternut squash. Did not peel the tomatoes. Did not roast a chile, instead chopped up an anaheim and sauteed it with the onions. Pureed the whole soup. The tomatillos really make this. Thanks!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I live in Los Angeles, and there are really great farmer's markets here, and corner stores featuring foods of many nations. I try to take advantage of these resources by using fresh seasonal produce and trying foods from different cultures. I don't exactly have the problem of not being able to find exotic ingredients; more often, I see things in the local stores (lotus root! passionfruit! chayote!) that turn out to be delicious when I finally learn how to prepare them. Interested in expanding my repertoire of techniques and cuisines, I finally took up my sister - Recipezaar member Roosie - on her recommendation to visit this site. I hear our parents use it too sometimes, but they don't seem to have figured out how to write reviews. My culinary pet peeve is when people stir rice while it's cooking, thereby making it gummy.
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