Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Pumpkin Tortilla Soup

Posted by Erin Wilburn / 13 comments » / pumpkin, soups/stews/chili, vegetarian

Now that the weather has finally (FINALLY!) turned cool, and seems like it might stay, I’m all about the soups.  Not only will it warm you up on a cool night, I just love that soup yields a ton of leftovers.  I’ll make a soup Sunday or Monday, and then eat it for lunch and/or dinner for many days to come!  This soup, though I’ve not tried it, I think would even freeze well.

With this being a vegetarian soup, I was really glad Nathan and I were both able to get filled up.  He’s always a bit weary when I proclaim there’s no meat in our dinner.  Served with avocado, crispy tortilla strips, a maybe a dollop of sour cream, this soup has quite a variety of flavors.  In case you couldn’t tell from the recipe title, this soup has PUMPKIN in it!  😀  That alone makes me very happy.  The pumpkin, like in many recipes, is more of a background player here than the standout star.  It adds a little thickening, to help plump it up.  And of course, it adds a ton of nutrients!  This soup will definitely remain in our soup rotation.  With a quick glance at my soup tag, there’s a lot in there I really love, and I’m glad to add another to the all-star lineup!

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Pumpkin Tortilla Soup

Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients:

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup finely chopped cilantro, plus more sprigs for garnish
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Chile pequins, other dried hot peppers, or cayenne pepper to taste*
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
5 cups unsalted vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
1-2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and cubed

Directions:

Cut 6 of the tortillas into 1/2-inch squares.

Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, cilantro, and chopped tortillas and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is soft.

Add cumin and crushed peppers or cayenne and sauté for another minute.

Add pumpkin, tomatoes, vegetable stock, and salt and stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for one hour.

While the soup is simmering, cut the remaining 6 tortillas in half and then into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Fry tortilla strips in two batches until crisp and light golden (about a minute). Using a slotted spoon, transfer tortilla strips to towels to drain.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with tortilla strips, avocado, and cilantro.

*You can tailor the type and amount of hot pepper to your own tastes. We usually make this with a couple of crushed chile pequins but have also used cayenne pepper, which is more readily available. If you're not sure how much to use, start with 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne, taste the soup after it has simmered for awhile, and then add more if desired.

from TheKitchn