Tomatillo Soup

I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I love soup.  And when it comes to Tomatillo Soup, well now were talking at least top three--maybe even number one on the list.  Not only does this soup have amazing flavor, it holds a special place in my heart as it was a soup I learned to make from my late Grandma Lou.  This is her recipe and it's fantastic.  I don't know about you but, before learning to make this soup, I wasn't using tomatillos much.  But, since adding this soup to my arsenal of recipes, I've found myself using tomatillos frequently--not just in soup but salsas, sauces, marinades and more.

While tomatillos are related to tomatoes, they are completely different in color, texture and taste.  A ripe tomatillo is bright green, the inside firm and their flavor tart--very different than a regular, red tomato.  But when roasted, tomatillos get a little sweet and mix perfectly with spicy or even smokey flavors.

Grandma's Tomatillo Soup isn't spicy or smokey but it does highlight the great flavor of the tomatillos, it's creamy with the addition of avocado, fresh tasting with a generous helping of fresh cilantro and is so versatile, you can add just about any protein to it (chicken, shrimp, crab, fish, red meat, etc) and have a filling, fantastic meal.

Let's get to it.

Tomatillo Soup
8-10 medium tomatillos, husks (papery outer casing) removed, washed, dried and quartered
1 medium yellow onion, cut into large chunks (about the same size as the tomatillo quarters)
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the side of your knife
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 in cubes (optional)
6 c chicken broth
1 ripe avocado, cut into large chunks
4 corn tortillas
1 generous handful of fresh cilantro leaves
salt & pepper to taste

1.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. After removing and discarding the papery husks of the tomatillos, rinse or wipe clean the exterior of the tomatillo then cut into quarters. Toss your quartered tomatillos, onion chunks and smashed garlic cloves with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper until evenly coated.  Spread out in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in your preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes until tomatillos and onions are soft and just barely starting to brown.

2.  While your tomatillos are roasting, prep your other ingredients: chop the avocado up into large chunks, tear apart your corn tortillas and gather your fresh cilantro.  Set these aside.

If using chicken in your soup, continue on to step 3.  Otherwise, read the notes below and then skip to step 4.

3.  Heat remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat in the bottom of a heavy soup pot.  Season your chicken with a little salt and pepper then brown in the pot.  Don't worry about the chicken cooking all the way through now.  It can finish cooking in the soup later--you're just browning it now.  Once the chicken is browned, remove from the pan and set aside.

NOTE: If you are the owner of an immersion blender then carry on with the IMMERSION BLENDER part of step 4.  If you don't have an immersion blender but instead will be using a food processor to pureé your tomatillos, avocado, etc, follow the FOOD PROCESSOR instructions.

A NOTE TO THE NOTE: Don't have an immersion blender?  That's too bad.  Get one.  I am not a big fan of kitchen tools (personally, I think many of them are unnecessary).  But, my immersion blender has won me over as it doesn't take up much space, can pureé soups right in the pot, froth hot milk for a latté, make smoothies and more.  AND, it does all this while cutting down on the number of dishes I or my dishwasher have to tackle compared to when I have to use my food processor (another handy machine but one of many parts).

4.  IMMERSION BLENDER: Once your tomatillo mixture has finished roasting, remove from the oven and using a rubber spatula, scrape into your soup pot (if you're using chicken, just use the same pot you cooked your chicken in--no need to clean it between steps.  If you aren't using chicken, you'll want to heat your pot on medium heat with the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil before adding in the roasted tomatillo mixture.).  Once your roasted tomatillos, onion and garlic are in the soup pot, next add in the chicken broth, avocado, torn tortilla pieces and cilantro.  Just throw it all in the pot--don't worry, I know it doesn't look pretty now but, you'll smooth it all out later.  Let all of this cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes--you want the avocado and tortillas to be really soft.  Now, using your immersion blender, blend the mixture in the pot until it is of a smooth, consistent texture.  You don't want any large chunks so pureé thoroughly.

 FOOD PROCESSOR:  Once your tomatillo mixture has finished roasting, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes--until about room temp.  Using a rubber spatula, scrape roasted mixture into the bowl of your food processor.  Add the avocado, torn bits of tortilla and cilantro (you may have to work in batches here--everything might not fit in the food processor in one shot).  Pureé these ingredients together until smooth and set aside.  In your soup pot, heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil and medium heat.  Pour in tomatillo pureé and cook for just a few minutes before adding in your chicken broth.  Stir to combine.

Roasted tomatillos, onions and garlic.

When using an immersion blender, everything goes right in the pot!

Ready to blend.

   Thoroughly pureéd, smooth and delicious!

5.  If you cooked chicken earlier to add to the soup, go ahead and add it in now.  Cook the tomatillo soup for about another 10 minutes on medium heat, just to let all of the flavors combine and to let your chicken finish cooking through.  You don't want to boil the soup--it should just be simmering away nicely.  Taste the soup and add salt and pepper to your taste.

At this point, you're ready to serve!  If you didn't use chicken, now is when you'd want to add an alternate protein if you so choose.  Instead of mixing your protein of choice in throughout the soup however, just pile it on top like a garnish.  Dungeness crab meat is DELICIOUS and gorgeous piled on top, so are cooked shrimp, seared scallops or any cooked fresh white fish.

Or, if you used chicken in the soup, try topping it with crunchy tortilla strips (see instructions below), or sour cream and/or a mild cheese like Monterey Jack or queso fresco, fresh tomato salsa or spicy black bean salsa....the possibilities are endless--get creative!


Crunchy Tortilla Strips
8-10 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-1/2 inch strips
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Toss the tortilla strips with oil and salt until evenly coated.  Spread in even layer on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees, stirring occasionally until crisp and light golden brown.