Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Avocado makes great creamy cold soup but here is a hot avocado soup recipe with a Mexican edge, which is very elegant and a great choice to start you next posh party. This recipe is by Jeff Vaccaro and from www.avocado.org.
Ingredients
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and diced
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups yellow onion, diced
1 yellow pepper, seeded and diced
1 Poblano Chile, seeded and diced
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups water or chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Chimayo red Chile powder
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Salt to taste
6 cilantro sprigs
1 tablespoon tomato, finely diced
1 tablespoon scallion, finely diced
Crumbled Queso Fresco
Fried corn tortilla threads
Procedure
In a medium bowl, combine the avocado and all but 1 teaspoon of the lime juice then set aside. In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat and sauté the onion, bell pepper, Poblano, and garlic until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Now add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to get off the tasty bits. Simmer till liquid is reduced by half. Add the water or stock, cumin, Chile powder, and pepper and 2 1/4 teaspoons of salt. Simmer covered for 1 hour. Puree the broth mixture in a blender along with the avocado lime mixture and the cilantro. Thin to desired consistency with stock or water and adjust the salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the tomato, scallions, remaining teaspoon of lime juice and a pinch of salt. Serve soup hot garnished with a teaspoon of crumbled Queso Fresco, tomato mixture and tortilla threads.
