Vegetable Chile Verde

A request was made for a vegetable chile verde soup for Friday night before a group of us girls went to the Idaho Botanical Garden for the Winter Garden Aglow event. Delicious dinner and we went to the gardens with very happy tummies!

Verde Sauce

1.5 lbs fresh tomatillos

4 garlic cloves, not peeled

1 can diced green Anaheim chiles

1 jalapeno, seeds & ribs removed, finely chopped

1 bunch cilantro leaves, de-stemmed & chopped

Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well. Cut in half and place cut side down, along with 5 unpeeled garlic cloves, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin. Remove from oven, let cool enough to handle.

Place tomatillos, skins included, into food processer. Remove the now roasted garlic cloves from their skins, add them to the blender. Add chopped green chiles,  Jalapeño pepper and cilantro to the blender. Pulse until all ingredients are well blended. Set aside

Soup

Olive oil

1 small sweet onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced coarsely

1 16oz can golden hominy

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tblsp New Mexican chili powder

Sea salt and pepper to taste

1 small butternut squash, de-seeded, peeled, cubed

1 32 oz container Pacific organic vegetable broth

1,5 cups, packed sliced fresh spinach

Cube butternut squash first, and roast in oven to soften while you chop the other vegetables. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in pot over medium high heat. Add onion & red bell peppers; sauté until soft. Add garlic and sauté for another minute or so. Add spices and stir until well blended and spices have darkened mixture.

Add tomatillo verde sauce, hominy, squash and broth. Simmer for 20 minutes or until thickened. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Serve in bowls and garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds.

Bon Appétit!