ToPoCho Soup (Chilled Tomato-Poblano-Ancho Soup)

Ingredients:

• 4 dried ancho chilies
• 3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ t. each fresh marjoram, savory and thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 1 leek, white part only, cleaned and sliced
• 1 lb. poblano peppers, seeded and sliced
• 1 t. salt
• 1 lb. ripe, red tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, with as much juice drained off as possible
• 6 C. plus ½ C. water
• 8 oz. green or Savoy cabbage, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Remove stems, seeds and veins from dried ancho chilies. Tear into several large pieces and put in small saucepan, cover with water and bring to boil. Lower heat, simmer for 20 minutes, then purée pepper pieces and liquid in blender.

2. In your soup pot, slowly warm herbs and bay leaves in the olive oil over low heat until fragrant; the oil should not be sizzling. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds-1minute; do not let it brown. Add onion, leek, peppers and salt, stir to coat vegetables with oil, cover pot and let sit on very low heat (you may need a flame tamer if your burners are fiddly).

3. Lift lid after 5 minutes, stir vegetables and, if they appear to be sticking in the oil, add ½ C. water. Cover again and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Now add tomatoes, 5-6 T. of the ancho paste and 6 C. water, bring to boil, then reduce heat to low simmer. Add cabbage, cover, and cook as low and slow as possible for 30 minutes.

4. Let soup cool for 15 minutes, then carefully purée in batches in either food processor or blender. Chill completely, then season with salt, pepper, and more ancho paste to taste. The flavors do continue to develop in the fridge, so if you have the time, make this soup a day or two ahead of when you plan to serve it, and adjust seasoning accordingly.

5. To serve, peel cucumbers, cut into slices approx. 2 inches thick, then use a melon baller or small spoon to scoop out seeds three-quarters of the way through the slice, so that each cucumber slice looks like a veggie shot glass. Spoon soup into each cucumber slice. Sip (or knock back) the soup, then eat the cucumber.

Source: Lori Skelton