Fall Comfort Food

Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE soup. I love that fall is here and I can eat warm, yummy soup. If Brian would let me I would cook it all the time.

My sisters are tired of hearing about it, but I also, LOVE Bountiful Baskets! I have been doing this for a while and will continue to do so. It helps us to eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies. It is almost a game for me to see what meals I can cook up with it all.

Last Saturday, I ordered the Mexican Pack for the first time. It had cilantro, avocado, limes, jalapenos, garlic, onions, poblanos, and tomatillos. I wanted a recipe where I could use my basket before anything went bad. I found the recipe below for a yummy soup.

It is soo easy and sooo delicious. Tangy and tasty!

***I added fresh chopped tomatoes. I garnished it with avocado slices and monterey jack cheese***

Chicken and Tomatillo Soup

1- 3 pound chicken

salt and pepper

1 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1 medium sized onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 pound fresh tomatillos, paper husk removed and washed

2 ears of fresh corn

1/2 roasted poblano pepper coarsely chopped

3 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves

optional garnishes

sour cream

grated Monterey Jack or Queso Fresco cheese

yogurt.

Put the chicken in a pot and add enough water to cover, at least 8 cups. You want to end up with a minimum of six cups of stock (I like to have extra to use for other recipes or to add to thin the soup). Sometimes I poach the chicken in chicken stock or part chicken stock part water for a richer broth. For the bouquet garni tie a couple springs of thyme, and a small bunch of parsley together. Add 1 quartered onion, 1 carrot chopped, 1 bay leaf, 5-6 black pepper corns and 1 celery rib chopped. Place the tied herbs of the bouquet garni under the chicken to make skimming the oil from the top easier. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce to a simmer for about 1 hour or until the meat is cooked through and loose. You will be using the meat for the soup so don’t poach it too long or it will loose its flavour. When the oil comes to the top skim it off. When the chicken is done, strain the broth through a cheese cloth or a fine mesh strainer. Reserve the broth. Cool the chicken and shred it into bite size chunks for the soup.

Place the cleaned tomatillos in a saucepan in an inch or so of water and gently cook them until they are tender. Drain and run them through a food mill to remove skins and seeds. Reserve the pulp.

Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil or butter in a stock pot large enough to hold the soup and sauté the onions until tender. Add to the onions the pureed tomatillos, chopped poblano peppers, corn kernels and chicken stock and simmer till heated through, add the shredded chicken. When the chicken is heated, season with salt and pepper, add more stock to thin soup according to your preference. Serve the soup and garnish with the cilantro and-or cheese, yogurt or sour cream.