mean green

it has been quite the week for the alcott bunch. we arrived home from galena last saturday and by monday morning ryan had left for a new project in pueblo, colorado. while daddy was away teddy cut his first tooth wednesday night, not-so-conveniently following a flu shot he had received earlier in the day. thursday morning teddy woke with a fever and terrible cold. we spent the next few days battling all-night cough sessions, roller coaster fever rides, and a constant current of free-flowing snot. as fate would have it, the little guy finished off yesterday with the diagnosis of an ear infection. ryan flew in friday evening so i'm sure he got here just in time to catch some sort of virus from our healthy home before he leaves again for pueblo tonight.

despite the hustle and bustle involved with nurse duty, ryan and i did find time to cook a wonderful batch of soup/stew last night after teddy went to bed and i'm dying to share the recipe because it was absolutely DELICIOUS! i love making homemade soups. they are usually light, filled with fresh vegetables, and perfect for this time of year. in the past my favorite recipes have either been given to me by family members or more recently from my oh-so-loved barefoot contessa cookbook. this weekend though i tried out two different rachel ray recipes, the "mean green chicken tortilla stoup" being one of them.

so invite some friends over. tune into the dale connelly show. and enjoy this great meal!

Mean Green Chicken Tortilla Stoup

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 12 tomatillos (about 1 lb) - peeled
• 1 yellow zucchini, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp, ground cumin (half a palmful)
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• one 12-ounce bottle mexican beer
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 pound chicken cutlets, sliced into 2 inch strips
• 1 bag of tortilla chips
• Freshly grated cotija or monterey jack cheese
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• cilantro, chopped (a generous handful)

Preparation

our stoup in the preparation stages :)

In a large soup pot, heat the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the tomatillos, zucchini, onion, and garlic, season with cumin and salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is softened and tomatillos become saucelike, 7-8 minutes. Add the beer and cook over high heat until reduced by half, about 5-10 minutes. Add the chicken broth and thyme, cover and bring to a boil. Stir in the chicken and bring to a low boil for about 6 minutes. Discard the thyme stems (the leaves will have fallen into the stoup).

Crush a handful of tortilla chips into 4 bowls and sprinkle with the cheese. Ladle the chicken stoup on top. Squeeze a lime wedge into each bowl and top with scallions and cilantro.

ryan and i agreed that it was most certainly a new family favorite. i think you will all love it too!

...and let us end with another mean, green favorite