Chilled Tomatillo Gazpacho

In case you haven't figured it out, I LOVE gazpacho. I make tomato gazpacho around once a week. Now that I've found a delicious mango/cucumber version I make that a lot too. Another great gazpacho is a tomatillo gazpacho recipe that I've only made once but really enjoyed. Tonight I decided to make it again.

The main reason I love gazpacho is that it's refreshing and cheap. You can't beat that combo. Plus it's quick. So gazpachos are great for plan-ahead meals or for last minute suppers.

Tonight's Chilled Tomatillo Gazpacho recipe comes from a cookbook I recently acquired from my mother called Cool Green Leaves and Red Hot Peppers. It has beautiful pictures and wonderful descriptions of vegetables you've never (or rarely) heard of.

Here's my shortened and modified version of the recipe:

CHILLED TOMATILLO GAZPACHO

1 lb. fresh tomatillos, husks removed
2 green peppers, halved and deseeded
5 scallions, chopped
2 mild fresh green chilies (I've used Anaheim and for more heat, jalapeno), roasted, seeded, and roughly chopped
1 medium garlic clove, roasted
1-2 T. lime juice, to taste
2 T. chopped cilantro
1 cup chicken stock (homemade preffered, if store-bought, use low-sodium)
salt and pepper to taste
1 t. sugar
2-4 T. thick yogurt, for garnish
1 T. chopped cilantro, for garnish

1.) Set aside 2 tomatillos, 1/2 green pepper, 1 or 2 scallions and dice. This will be added to the soup later.

2.) Coarsley chop the remaining tomatillos, scallions, and peppers.

3.) In a food processor, puree the vegetables you just coarsley chopped (chili, pepper, scallions, and tomatillos) along with the garlic and 1 T. lime juice for 2-3 minutes. Strain through a sieve and extract as much liquid as possible. You can throw away the debris in your sieve.

4.) Add chicken stock and season to taste with salt, pepper, sugar, and lime juice (if needed).

5.) Add the diced vegetables from step 1 as well as the 1 T. chopped cilantro.

Serving note: right before serving add a dollup of thick yogurt to each bowl of soup and serve with tortilla chips, if desired.